Changing
by Lovely Little Muse
Summary: Draco and Hermione are prefects in 5th year, and romance is blossoming between them. They take a class trip and it only improves their relationship, but what will it do to Harry and Ron's friendship with Hermione? *FINISHED* sequel is The Hardest Thing
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter characters or settings, as much as I wish I owned Draco. JK Rowling does and I am not taking credit.  
  
A/N: OK, this is my first HP fic, so please be gentle. Do review, though. I hope it's ok!  
  
Chapter 1  
  
"Mom!" I shrieked. "Dad!" When I heard a muffled answer from my father saying they'd be down in a minute, I screamed again. "Aaaaaarrgh!" And with that I stomped out the door and down the driveway, flinging myself into our green Jeep.  
  
My trunk was already in the back, and I was more than ready to get going. Finally, my mother exited the house and trotted down the driveway and into the passenger seat, quickly followed by my father, who locked the front door and climbed up into the driver seat. As he backed down the driveway and all the way to the train station, I couldn't help but think of all my friends, who'd I'd be seeing in less than an hour. What would they say?  
  
"Hermione!!" That was the last thing I heard before I was thrown into darkness, pounded back against a brick wall, as two guys enveloped me in a huge hug. When I was released, I was surprised at how much I had to look up to see the faces of Harry and Ron, who I would have sworn had not been this tall last year. They stepped back, which helped my neck a bit, and seemed to take in my appearance for the first time. Even I had to admit, there were some extreme changes from 4th year.  
  
While before I had been simply a long, gangly girl, all limbs, I had filled out over the summer, as I could tell Harry and Ron noticed from the way they were staring at me. Suddenly I felt self-conscious about the tight belly shirts I had slipped into the habit of wearing lately. My bleached hip-hugger jeans clung to a thin waist, and were tight to my shapely legs until they flared at the bottom. I had pierced my belly- button, and was wearing my favorite belly-button ring, a simple round one with blue and green beads. My hair had grown out to a little longer than my shoulders, and was bleached light blond from being out in the sun, which had also given me a tan, accentuating my honey-colored eyes.  
  
While Harry and Ron were staring open-mouthed at me, I was doing a bit of checking out myself. Harry had grown his hair out, and as it became longer, it became more manageable. It was settled behind his ears, with a few small strands falling into his eyes, the look that made girls just want to reach up and push it back. He had abandoned his old broken glasses for contacts, and his eyes sparkled like emeralds in his smiling face. Ron looked like he had been working out. I could see his abs through his tight black shirt. His unruly red hair was sticking out every which way as it usually was, but somehow it suited him better, I'm not quite sure what it was. I decided black was totally his color, since it made a brilliant contrast with his red hair and bright blue eyes.  
  
"Wow," Harry said, breaking the silence. He was grinning a crazy lop- sided smile, and it looked fantastic on him. I directed my gaze to catch his eyes, and I smiled back at him.  
  
"Not too bad yourself!" I laughed. He looked at me sideways with a funny glint in his eyes.  
  
"Yeah, Hermione, what brings the sudden change?" Ron asked, still awed.  
  
I laughed at them both, and grabbed my trunk, dragging it and the guys toward the train. "Come on, there'll be plenty of time to catch up later."  
  
We claimed an empty compartment before the train was too full to find any. I sighed and plopped down into the nice, cushiony seat. "So, how was your guys' summer?" I asked anxiously.  
  
"Great!" Harry answered. "I spent most of the time at Ron's. Not that Aunt and Uncle missed me much, I'm sure. They're still a little sore from that time I blew up the cupboard under the stairs when I tried to make a potion to turn Dudley's face blue." I hadn't heard about this.  
  
"Harry!" I scolded. "You know we aren't allowed to use magic over vacation. You got a letter from the Ministry, didn't you?" I teased.  
  
He looked a bit confused, though. "Actually, no. I never got a Ministry letter. It was strange."  
  
"Hmmm. That is strange." I thought about it for a minute, then decided not to let it ruin our reunion. "Come on, though! What else did you guys do? You had to have done something fun!"  
  
"Well," Ron said. "Dad brought some pretty interesting stuff back from work." Harry and Ron both started cracking up.  
  
"Uh-oh. That laugh doesn't sound very good. What was it?"  
  
"Oh, nothing," Harry gasped. "Just some rubber bands and fireworks." They started cracking up again. Their laugh was contagious, because I started giggling too, but I had no idea at what.  
  
"So what happened?" I asked when I had gained control again.  
  
"Fred and George," Harry started. "... Scabbers..." He was having trouble getting this out because he was laughing so hard, so Ron took over.  
  
"Fred and George rubber-banded Scabbers to one of those big fireworks that shoots way up and explodes, then lighted it in his room, hoping for him to go out the window, but the rubber band popped, and Scabbers was the only one that made it out the window. The firework went off in their bedroom, and they-" He started laughing uncontrollably. "They came out completely scorched," he managed to gasp out.  
  
By this time I was laughing too, and I hadn't even been there. It was just such an easy picture to imagine! But someone interrupted. The door swung open and, of all people, guess who popped his head into the compartment? 


	2. New Prefects

Disclaimer: I am not taking credit for JK Rowling's characters or settings.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Malfoy stuck his head into our compartment and looked at me. "Granger. You're wanted in a meeting," he stated.  
  
"What fo-" I stopped. "Oh! Is it about the prefects?" I asked excitedly, my eyes widening.  
  
Malfoy just rolled his eyes. "Just come on," he muttered. With a last glance at Harry and Ron, I followed Malfoy closely out of the compartment and down the hall to wherever the meeting was being held.  
  
I must have been so preoccupied that I wasn't paying attention or something, because I was following Malfoy so closely that when he turned abruptly to head into a compartment, I tripped and almost went flying. Before I hit the ground, though, strong arms reached out and caught me, holding me steady while I regained my balance. I looked up to see my savior, and what I saw surprised me. I found myself staring up into Malfoy's cloudy gray eyes. We held each other's gaze and that was when it hit me. He wasn't leading me here just for no reason. He was the Slytherin prefect. A wave of dread washed over me, imagining the next year, at least, spending my time with Malfoy. But as I stared up at him, I realized he still hadn't taken his arms away from around me, and the dread changed to something else, something strange. But it was soon gone, because Professor Snape came up behind us, and Malfoy extracted his arms and retreated quickly into the compartment, with me at his heels once again.  
  
I took a seat on the edge of one of the cushions and looked around. Malfoy and I were the only students in the compartment, along with Professor McGonagall, Snape, and Dumbledore were all there; we were only missing the students and Professors from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.  
  
No sooner had I thought that than the compartment door slid open again, and Professors Sprout and Hooch walked in, followed by Hannah Abbott and Terry Boot. I grinned and waved when I saw them; they were one of Hogwarts' most well known couples, and I was excited that they were going to be prefects with me. At least I would have some friends living with me for the next year, instead of just Malfoy. They smiled back when they saw me, and took a seat next to me, all three of us and McGonagall facing Malfoy and the other teachers on the other side.  
  
"I am pleased to announce that the four of you have been chosen to be prefects for your houses this year," Dumbledore announced. Hannah and Terry grinned at each other, and Malfoy just scowled. "Your first assignment is, of course, the annual Halloween event (A/N: I made that up. Hehe.), and I will need your decision by October 15th, so we will have plenty of time to set it up." He paused. "Also, there will be another special event at Hogwarts this year." All four of us sat up straighter at that, anxious to hear what it was. Last year's event, the Triwizard Tournament, hadn't turned out that well, but surely that couldn't happen again, could it? "In April, all of the classes third year and up will be taking a class trip. Since it is the first year we have done this, I will need you four and the Head Boy and Girl to come up with places to travel. Please provide me with a list of possible places to go, either Muggle or wizard, and I will choose five places, one for each of the years. Please do not tell anyone, it will be announced to them in time. That is all, you are dismissed."  
  
Trying to digest this, we all slowly stood up, and Terry, who was closest to the door, slid it open. "Oh, and one more thing," Dumbledore added. "You might like to know who the Heads are. Katie Bell, and Roger Davies." Great. Another couple. "And also, you will be shown later to your new quarters, after the Sorting ceremony."  
  
This last statement dropped like a ton of bricks on me. Of course I knew that the prefects had a new personal room, just for us, but I had completely forgotten. I wouldn't be able to live with my friends anymore!  
  
"And, Miss Granger," Dumbledore interrupted us leaving once more. "I sincerely hope you will change into your robes before we arrive at Hogwarts, which I expect will be within the half hour." I looked down at myself and saw that I was still in my tight belly shirt and hiphuggers. I blushed.  
  
I got swept out of the compartment, with everyone leaving to go back to whatever they were doing before. I walked slowly back to the compartment I was in with Harry and Ron, but was stopped by a tap on the shoulder. I spun around to face Malfoy.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
He looked rather uncomfortable. "Um... listen, I don't want to go through this whole year living together and hating each other, okay?" he muttered quickly.  
  
I was surprised, to put it mildly. I must have stood there gaping for more than a few seconds, because he grew impatient, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to another. "Well?" he asked anxiously.  
  
"Malfoy, I never hated you." He looked at me, confused.  
  
"But, I thought..."  
  
"You thought wrong. Harry and Ron, yeah, they probably hate you, but not me. It was you, Malfoy, that always hated me. It was you, Malfoy, that-" He cut me off.  
  
"Draco."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"It never was Malfoy. Just Draco."  
  
"Oh. Alright, then."  
  
"So, what do you say?"  
  
"To what?"  
  
"Being decent to each other this year."  
  
"That all depends on you, Mal... Draco."  
  
"Okay, then. It's settled."  
  
"Okay, but you have to be nice to Harry and Ron, too," I reminded him.  
  
He looked at me questioningly, and I laughed. "Okay, well not nice, then. Just tolerable." He still looked skeptical. "I take that as an 'Okay, Hermione, whatever you want.'" He shrugged and walked off. Well, at least it wouldn't be too terrible of a year.  
  
I opened the door to Harry and Ron and resumed my seat on the cushioned across from the two of them, and stretched out my legs. I was bursting to tell them the news about the class trip, but, remembering what Dumbledore said, kept my mouth shut.  
  
"So... you're the new Gryffindor Prefect?" Harry asked.  
  
"Of course! Who else?" I giggled.  
  
"Who are the others?" Ron inquired.  
  
"Well, Terry and Hannah are the Prefects for Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff," I told them.  
  
Ron smiled. "Oh, this will be fun! Both of them have an excellent sense of creativity. Hopefully we'll get some fun activities this year," Harry said.  
  
"Yeah, we will, don't worry," I said, a mischevious glint in my eye that both Harry and Ron missed. "The Slytherin Prefect is Draco," I added.  
  
"MALFOY?" Harry and Ron chorused. Their faces darkened, and Harry scowled. Ron looked sympathetic.  
  
"Oh, man Hermione, I'm so sorry you'll have to be spending the year with him!"  
  
"Actually, he was actually talking like he wanted to be friends. Maybe it won't be all bad."  
  
Harry and Ron both looked shocked. I grabbed my robes from my trunk and excused myself to go get changed.  
  
There was someone in the bathroom, and when the door opened, Malfoy exited, wearing his black and silver Hogwarts robes. (A/N: I made that up too. Anyone know what color they really are?) He actually looked pretty good in them, with his blond hair and gray eyes. I'd never really noticed before, but Draco was actually pretty hot.... Whoa. That was weird. Where'd that come from?  
  
He looked at me when he came out, his eyes sliding up and down me, making me feel uncomfortable. Before walking away down the length of the train, he leant down to whisper in my ear. "I think you look just fine in what you're wearing," he breathed softly in my ear. Shocked, I stared at his back as he retreated to his compartment.  
  
A/N: Hope this is getting good, hopefully Draco isn't too OOC for ya. I'll try to make chapters longer, and update more often.  
  
Thanks go to my ONE reviewer. That's right, ONE.  
  
Blur- X- angel: Thanks, and I will.  
  
That's all. Please review. It makes me want to continue. 


	3. Sorting Things Out

Disclaimer: I really wish I owned Draco, but I don't, JKR owns everything in this story, except for the stuff I own.  
  
Chapter 3- Sorting Things Out  
  
When we arrived at Hogwarts about 15 minutes later, it was pouring rain. By the time I was able to run from the train to a carriage, and from a carriage to the school, I was soaked through to the bone, my robes were clinging to my skin, and my hair was dripping on the floor.  
  
Once everyone was seated in the Great Hall, the enchanted ceiling portraying the gloomy weather outside, Professor McGonagall brought out the Sorting Hat, and the new first years were placed. After about forty-five minutes, everyone was starving and Gryffindor had seven new members.  
  
"Before we bring out the food, I have one last announcement to make." Ron, beside me, groaned. "Some of you may have heard news of a new event at Hogwarts this year. I am excited to inform you that all of the third year and above students will be taking a class trip, in April." There were some yelps of excitement, and he continued. "The Prefects and Heads, but mainly Prefects as the Heads have other business to attend to, will be making a list of places that you may go, and I will make the final selection of five places, one for each of the years. You will, eventually, get to go to each place, as you go up in years. You will have plenty of time to prepare for this trip, and you will get more explanations as the time draws nearer. For now, look forward to the annual Halloween event. That is all. Let the feast begin."  
  
"Fi'ally!" Ron exclaimed a moment later, his face already stuffed with bread and mashed potatoes. "'Ermio'e, 'ow come you," he paused and swallowed his food, "never told us about the trip?" he exclaimed.  
  
"I'm sorry, I was dying to tell you guys, but Dumbledore said not to," I apologized. "Do you guys like the idea, though? I think it's splendid."  
  
"Yeah, it sounds excellent!" shouted Seamus, from across the table. I grinned at him and he shot a smile back.  
  
"We should go to Spain, Hermione! Put Spain on the list!" Dean put in.  
  
"Oooh, and Italy, I've always wanted to go to Italy. And..."  
  
The rest of the evening consisted of talk about the trip, and my friends putting in their opinions in where we should go for fifth year. When dinner was over, I was exhausted, but I couldn't wait to get up and see my new home for at least the next year. When everyone was filtering out of the hall, I waited at the bottom of the stairs for Terry, Hannah, Draco, Katie, and Roger.  
  
Hannah and Terry showed up first, and waited with me; shortly after them, Katie and Roger arrived, and we were all left waiting for Draco. He finally showed up about five minutes later, looking rather annoyed.  
  
"People kept stopping me and telling me places we should go, or making suggestions about the Halloween event," he growled. I laughed, and he scowled at me, then broke into a small smile of his own. Then Dumbledore appeared, and led us up three flights of stairs, until we reached a painting of the castle of Hogwarts. I looked at it, amazed. Hagrid was currently making his way through the rain from the castle to his small cabin. Dumbledore saw me staring, and smiled.  
  
"It portrays what really is going on outside the castle," he explained to us. Then he leant down and whispered for only me to hear, "Somewhat like that map of Mr. Potter's." My eyes widened and I looked at him in surprise. I hadn't thought anyone had known about the Marauder's Map!  
  
"Aucunes craintes!" Dumbledore said, and the portrait swung open, allowing him to enter. I smiled at the password: it's meaning was 'no fears', in French. (A/N: It really is! I used a translator, please tell me if it isn't right, though.) Hannah and Terry followed, and then I, and Draco went through last.  
  
I gasped when I saw what was inside. It was more beautiful than I had imagined it being! The first thing I noticed was the shelves and shelves brimming with books. I spun around, surveying them all, and saw that the whole room was covered in shelves from wall to wall, floor to ceiling. The rest of the room was much like the common rooms, with several small couches. There was one small loveseat for each of the prefects and Katie and Roger, their backs to the door, facing a large fireplace on the wall opposite the door. There were several small tables set around the room, along the walls of books. There were three spiraling staircases on the wall with the fireplace, spaced apart by three large windows overlooking the lake, and, beyond that, the Forbidden Forest. Two of the staircases were labeled with a pair of initials. The first was decorated with a bronze eagle, with TB written inside it in blue, and a black badger with HA in yellow. The middle staircase had a gold lion with HG written in red inside, and a silver serpent with DM written in green inside it. 'Oh, great, I have to share a staircase with Draco. I can't wait,' I thought. The last staircase was simply labeled Heads.  
  
When I was done gaping at the common room, I decided to have a look upstairs. I bounded up the narrow staircase, Draco following closely at my heels. When we reached the top of the staircase, I stopped to look around. One wall was red and gold, all swirling around, and the other was a swirling combination of green and silver. I opened the door on the red and gold side and gasped once again at the beauty of it. The whole theme was the Gryffindor colors, obviously. There was a huge king-size four poster bed, with semi-transparent red curtains to pull closed if desired. The sheets were a silky red, and the comforter was big and fluffy and gold, with gold and red-trimmed pillows.  
  
There was a portrait on the wall by the bed, a simple picture of a forest in autumn, with leaves falling across a dirt path, with a wood fence running along it. It was an entrance to the Gryffindor common room, so I could easily pass from my room to my friends. That made me happy.  
  
There was a gigantic walk-in closet, and my things had already been unpacked into it. On the opposite wall there was a bay window with a seat, and the view was gorgeous, even in the mucky window. I went and sat on the red-cushioned seat, looking out over the lake and over the tops of the trees of Hogwarts, barely glimpsing mountain caps in the distance. It was breathtaking.  
  
Smiling, I sat there for a while longer, then went into my closet and changed into my pajamas, which were (ironically) a pair of red and gold striped silk pants and a white tank top.  
  
I went back downstairs and into the common room, planning to sit down by the fire with a book for the evening. When I came into the room, I saw that Katie, Roger, and Hannah had already gone to bed, leaving only Terry and Draco in the room. Terry, who was sitting on his couch with his feet propped on a coffee table, looked up and grinned when I came in.  
  
I spotted Draco, also in his pajamas, searching the bookcase for a book. He glanced at me, and looked quickly away. I could have sworn I saw his cheeks turn slightly pink, but surely I was mistaken. Draco never blushed.  
  
Just then I heard him let out an exasperated sigh. "Has anyone seen Potions pour le Sorcier Advance?" he asked, looking at Terry and I. We both shook our heads.  
  
"Maybe they don't have it?" I suggested. I had read it before, it was a really excellent book for potions, but it was very advanced. It was possible that they didn't have it at Hogwarts.  
  
Draco looked shocked, however. "How could they not have it?! I practically live by that book!" He truly looked so upset that I laughed. "What's so funny?" he wanted to know.  
  
"It's just a book, Draco, albeit a very good one, it's still just a book."  
  
He grinned. "This, coming from Hermione Granger? The girl who spends almost every waking moment not spent in a classroom in the library?" he laughed. I giggled; he was right.  
  
"Okay you guys, well, I'm off to bed. Hope you find your book, Draco," Terry said, climbing his stairway.  
  
"Okay, Terry, goodnight!" I called. Draco sighed again and settled for another book of potions that he found. He walked over to his couch and collapsed backwards onto it, his legs sprawled out and hanging over the arm, and began reading.  
  
Surveying the shelf, I closed my eyes and randomly pulled out a book. I opened my eyes and saw that it was Transfiguration for Year 6. I had already read the 5th year book, so it was perfect. 'Hmm, good choice, Hermione,' I complimented myself. The thought was so strange that I giggled out loud.  
  
Draco glanced over at me, unsure. "Hmmm?" he murmured.  
  
"Oh, nothing," I replied, still smiling, and walked over to my own couch. I curled up with my back against one of the arms and rested my head on the back. Not realizing how tired I was, I began reading, but it wasn't long until I fell asleep.  
  
  
  
It must have been over an hour later when Draco decided to stop reading and go up to bed. He closed his book with a yawn and stretched, rising up off his couch. "Well, Hermione, I'm off to..." He trailed off as he saw that she was curled up on her couch, fast asleep.  
  
'She looks so peaceful when she sleeps,' he thought. Whoa, what was that? Where'd it come from? I mean, sure, Hermione was certainly hot enough, he'd seen that on the train, but she was a Mudblood! He certainly didn't care, but if his father found out that he was even being semi-decent to her, he'd go nuts. 'Okay, so what am I supposed to do?' he thought, looking at her in her pants and tank top. He was already shivering, seeing as how the fire was going down, and if she stayed here she'd be frozen to death by morning.  
  
He walked over and shook her shoulder gently. "Hermione!" he whispered. "Wake up!"  
  
She half mumbled half sighed quietly, and stirred slightly, but other than that showed no sign of hearing him.  
  
"Mione, come on! Wake up!" She wasn't moving. Great, just wonderful. Looking around, he sighed defeatedly. Ever so carefully, as if he was afraid to break her, he put his arms around her and picked her up effortlessly. Weasley wasn't the only one who'd been working out.  
  
He climbed up the dark stairs, and she sighed and snuggled closer to his chest, still asleep. Using his hand to open the door while still supporting her with his arm was somewhat difficult, but he managed it without dropping her.  
  
He couldn't say that he was surprised that her room was exactly like his, except his was green and silver. He pulled back the covers and lay her down on her bed, then pulled the thick, warm comforter over her again. She sighed softly and snuggled down deep into the fluffy mattress, and he stood over her a moment longer, wanting to just stay and watch her sleep. He yawned again, though, and knew that he should get some sleep. He began classes the next day, and first thing was potions, with Gryffindor, then Transfiguration, which had always been difficult for him. "Goodnight, Mione," he whispered as he closed her door softly behind him.  
  
A/N: Hehehe. How sweet! Wait till next chapter to find out how our favorite characters' school day goes! Thanks to my one new reviewer:  
  
Felicity- Thank you! I'm updating right now! Lol. Thanks for your review, I really appreciate it.  
  
Okay, so, so far I'm only writing this story for Blur-X-angel and Felictiy. All well. Please review. Thanks! 


	4. School Days

Disclaimer: Okay, here it is. Mine- my cat, this computer, the plot of this story. Not mine- a million dollars, Draco Malfoy (*pout*), Josh Hartnett, JKR's characters and settings. Got it? Good.  
  
Chapter 4- School Days  
  
Draco's Point of View  
  
I awoke the next morning to the sound of feet going down the stairs, and opened my eyes, immediately regretting it. I hadn't closed the curtains on my bay window last night, and now the rain was gone and bright sunlight was flooding into my room.  
  
Groaning, I rolled out of bed, grabbed my robes, and trudged downstairs to take a shower. I went into mine and Terry's bathroom, seeing that Terry was sitting on the couch looking over his schedule, having already showered.  
  
I lingered in the shower, enjoying the feel of the hot water pouring over me. I didn't want to be late for breakfast, though, and turned off the water and stepped out. I finished drying myself with my fluffy green towel, then got dressed.  
  
After styling my hair with gel, I walked out into the common room, feeling much more relaxed. "So, are you guys ready to go down to breakfast?" Hannah, Terry, Katie, and Roger all nodded, got up, and walked down to the Great Hall with me.  
  
As I walked out the door, I wondered where Hermione was. 'She's probably just in the bathroom or something,' I thought. No matter, I would see her for my first class, potions.  
  
  
  
I was walking out of the Great Hall on my way back to the dorm to get my potions things when I almost ran into Weasley. "What do you want, Weas... Ron?" I smirked. But I remembered my agreement, if you could call it that, with Hermione, and tried my best to be somewhat tolerant of him and Potter.  
  
Ron stared coldly at me. "Where's Hermione?" he demanded. Harry was right behind him, standing with his arms folded over his chest. Did they seriously think I had something to do with Hermione's not being present at breakfast?  
  
"How should I know?" I had tried, but Weasley's tone ticked me off. I decided to play innocent.  
  
"Well, you'd better go find her before Potions class," Harry warned.  
  
"Why don't you go?"  
  
Harry rolled his eyes. "Because we're not allowed!" He had him there. I had forgotten that others weren't supposed to be allowed in the Prefect common room.  
  
"Okay, fine, whatever," I said. "I'll get her. Run along," I teased before turning up the stairway to the room.  
  
"Don't be late!" Ron called.  
  
When I reached the painting, I muttered the password and entered when it swung open. "Hermione?" I yelled. No answer. She wasn't in the common room, and the door to the bathroom she shared with Hannah was open; not there either.  
  
Sighing, I went up the stairs to her room, and knocked lightly on the door. Still no answer. Cautiously I opened it, and spotted her still lying in bed. She had a clock on the wall by her nightstand, and glancing at it I saw that it was 7: 55. Shit, Potions started at 8:00!  
  
I put my hands on her shoulders and gently shook her a little. "Hermione! Hermione, get up!"  
  
"Mmmmff!" she answered. I took that as a 'go away'. Her only other response was to pull the blankets over her head.  
  
"Okay, fine," I muttered. "But you're gonna be late for potions." As I said that, she abruptly pulled the covers off her head and bolted upright, staring at me with wide eyes.  
  
"Why didn't you say so?!" she cried, tumbling out of bed in a tangle of covers. This was just too much, and I burst out laughing. She just glared at me, and jumped up, and hopped to her closet, shaking her feet out of her sheets as she went. She grabbed her robes and ran down the stairs, basically just jumping down the whole flight. I watched as she fled into the bathroom, and emerged about thirty seconds later. I figured this must be a record for girls, because they normally take so long in the bathroom. I had grabbed my potions things before, and seeing them she shrieked and began to head back up the stairs, but I stopped her. "What?" she cried, exasperated. I grinned, and held out her potions stuff to her. "Oh." She smiled at me, and I smiled back. We stood there stupidly like that for a moment, until she finally came to her senses. "We have exactly two minutes to get to potions class," she whispered, and without another word, she took off running, out the portrait and down the hall.  
  
It was all I could do to keep up with her, and after climbing up the four flights of stairs to reach Professor Snape's class, I was breathing raggedly and was holding a stitch in my side. Hermione was also breathing heavily, but she grabbed my wrist and dragged me into the classroom. We dove into the only two seats left at the same time that Snape walked into the room from his office door.  
  
"Today, class, you will be starting the Aucunes Craintes potion," he began. Professor Snape was always to the point. Aucunes Craintes... No fears, but where was that familiar from? Hermione must have recognized it, too, because she stiffened in the seat next to me.  
  
She leaned over to whisper in my ear. "That's our password!" she hissed. Oh. So that was where I had heard it before.  
  
"Dumbledore must've known what Snape was planning for the first day, or something," I replied.  
  
She shrugged, then straightened up as Snape's eyes scanned over them. He must have been in a good mood, though, because he didn't say anything, just continued, "You will all thank me when you hear that I will be allowing you to work with who you are sitting with right now." There were whispered cheers around the class, but Hermione and I both groaned. Of all the times we had to be late to class! Hermione shot a disappointed look at the table where Harry and Ron were sitting. She had to be more disappointed than I was; she had friends in this class. Come to think of it, if Snape hadn't made me work with anyone in particular, I wasn't sure who I would be partners with.  
  
Hermione pulled a cauldron up onto the desk, and we began following Snape's directions, adding to the potion what he said, and exactly when he said to add it. By the end of class, they had a potion that was looking like it was supposed to at that time. They would finish it next class, and then, knowing Snape, he would probably make them drink it.  
  
Hermione left me while we were walking out of the potions dungeon, straying off to talk to Potter and Weasley. I trudged back down the room, and muttered the password, then went up to my room to grab my Transfiguration stuff. I wasn't looking forward to that next class. Not only was Transfiguration my worst subject, but I was sure Professor McGonagall wasn't too fond of me either. 'All well, no avoiding it, better get going so I'm not late.'  
  
I was about to open up the portrait when it swung open without me having to, and Hermione entered, almost running straight into me. I gripped her arm to keep her from losing her balance, and she smiled at me. I nodded, and was about to leave again when she stopped me. "Hey, thanks!" she called, and I turned around. "You know, for waking me up this morning. Snape would've killed me if I were late on the first day. I owe you one." I just nodded again, and left.  
  
It was very unnerving, this odd feeling Hermione had been giving me lately. Ever since I spotted her stepping onto Platform nine and three-quarters, I had a fluttery feeling in my stomach when I thought of her. 'Stop it, Draco, you sound like a little kid. You like her, and you know it.' As much as I wished it would go away, the voice in my head was right. I liked Hermione.  
  
A/N: Okay, I'm writing these chapters in advance so I can try and pace myself when updating. Pretty good idea, huh? Lol. Well I think I'm gonna have the chapters alternate point of views, or POVs as I will call them. Unless I get bored with that, which could easily happen. Lol. Anyways, please review. Thanks go out to the people who reviewed last chapter:  
  
Zephyreflame- Wow! Thank you! I hope this chapter is good soon. Thanks for the compliment!!! I feel so loved. Lol.  
  
Couch-potato- Thanks! I know, I know, it was a bit... far-fetched. But I hope you like how it turns out!  
  
Happy Little Rin-chan- Thanks!  
  
Starrynights13- Thank you! Don't worry, I have the next few chapters written, and my goal is to update daily. Don't hold me to that, though, because I might get behind with all my homework. Lol. 


	5. Professor Hayes

Disclaimer: We've been through this. I feel like I'm explaining it to a cave man or something. ME NO OWN. JKR OWN. Jeez.  
  
Chapter 5- Professor Hayes  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
Harry and Ron caught up with me as I was leaving potions. "Hey, Mione, wait up!"  
  
I turned and saw them trying to push their way through the mob of students to get to me, and waited where I was until they succeeded. "Hey!" Harry threw his arm around me, and I smiled up at him.  
  
Ron looked down at me sympathetically. "Man, I'm so sorry about potions. We were going to go wake you up and get you down to breakfast, but we're not allowed in the common room, and after all, we don't have the password, and... and now you have to be partners with Malfoy!" Ron looked way more stressed out about the fact than I felt.  
  
"Ron, it's okay," I told him. Seeing the look of disbelief he gave me, I continued. "I figure I'm going to have to learn to live with him for the next year, maybe more if I'm prefect again, so why not start trying to be tolerable of him? What better way than being partners in potions? Really, I'm fine with it," I assured him.  
  
"Well, okay, if you're sure..."  
  
"I am," I said firmly.  
  
"Well I'm glad," said Harry, grinning down at me.  
  
I smiled back up at him. "Well, okay guys, I have to go grab my herbology stuff from my room," I said, slipping out from underneath Harry's arm. "I'll see you guys out there, okay?" They nodded and waved as I disappeared around the corner.  
  
  
  
Ten minutes later, I was sitting in the herbology class with Harry, listening to Ms. Sprout lecturing us on the Infinigus plant. "And since these plants are known to be a bit... rambunctious, I want you all to take extra-" She dodged out of the way of one of these plants she had up front, which was hoping to get a bite out of her arm. "precautions," she finished, looking back at us and smiling.  
  
She began passing out the plants, holding them at arm's length so they couldn't reach her. Harry turned in his seat to talk to me. "Great," he rolled his eyes. "First it was Hagrid's blast-ended skrewts, and now it's these flesh-eating Infungus plants. What will they come up with next to torture us with?"  
  
"Infinigus," I corrected automatically, smiling. He had a point. It seemed every year the teachers had some new obstacle ready for us, and each year it led to trouble.  
  
Ms. Sprout came around with our plant and set it on the desk, and we both pushed away from the table. Harry was looking skeptical at it, glancing out of the corner of his eye. "Well," I began, "let's get to work raising this monstrosity, shall we?" I grabbed some thick gloves, which covered my entire forearm, from my bag, and pulled them on, Harry doing the same.  
  
When we had finished following Ms. Sprout's instructions, I slumped back into my chair and sighed again. "Okay. That wasn't so bad." I had escaped the encounter with only a few scratches, no major harm done. Harry gave a lopsided grin, examining his arms, which were completely covered in scratches. His gloves looked like they had been through a paper shredder. He hadn't been so lucky.  
  
We met up with Ron walking back to the castle, on our way to our next class. I had remembered to look at my schedule before, and brought my stuff for next class with my herbology things.  
  
"Ron, how did you and Lavender do with the Infinigus plants?" Harry asked. Ron showed him his arms, which looked a lot like Harry's.  
  
"I didn't do too well," he winced. "Lavender did great, though. The plant seemed to like all her cooing to it, like it was a baby." He shrugged.  
  
"What's our next class?" Harry wondered aloud, digging for his schedule.  
  
"Defense Against the Dark Arts," I replied.  
  
Harry looked thoughtful for a moment. "Have we met the new professor yet?" he asked. The real Professor Moody retired after all the events in fourth year, and, come to think of it, I didn't think we had seen or heard of a new professor.  
  
"You know what?" I said lightly. "I don't think we have!" That was strange. Normally the new teacher would be introduced during the feast the first night. But, recalling last night, I didn't remember seeing any unfamiliar faces.  
  
"Maybe we don't have one!" Ron cried hopefully.  
  
I laughed. "I wish. But I don't think they would want us going without that class, do you?"  
  
"No, probably not," he admitted.  
  
I accompanied Harry and Ron to the Gryffindor common room, and waited while they went up to their room to get their things. I looked around while I was standing there, being in it for the first time this year. I looked over to where the entrance to my room should be, but there was nothing there. Curious, I walked over and pushed on the space. Nothing happened. "Aucunes craintes!" I told it, and it swung open, revealing my room. So, the password was the same. No one from Gryffindor could get through unless they knew the password to the prefect room.  
  
Harry and Ron came back down and we left for class. Pulling out my schedule, I glanced at it again, and stopped. "What is it?" Ron inquired.  
  
"The class has been moved," I told them, turning around. "It's on the third floor, this way." I had never been in the room it said the class was in, and was anxious to see what it was like. We hurried up the stairs to the third floor, and took a right. Sure enough, there it was. I stopped before the door and waited. Glancing at me, Harry opened the door and walked in, followed by me, and then Ron.  
  
I gazed around, mystified by the choice of this particular room for Defense Against the Dark Arts. It was beautiful. The ceiling was bewitched, just like in the Great Hall, to show the weather outside, and it had a gigantic floor to ceiling window along the whole east wall, looking out over the Quidditch field. There were five large, round worktables set in an arc in the back of the room, each with four chairs. At the front, there was a large desk, presumably for the new professor. It was cluttered, covered in books, parchment, quills, and bottles of ink.  
  
In a daze, we walked over to the middle table and took a seat. "Who do we have this class with?" I wondered.  
  
Ron pulled out his schedule. "Slytherins," he spat, after looking it over. He rolled his eyes. "Wonderful. I can't wait," he drawled sarcastically.  
  
We all sat anxiously waiting for class to begin. More students flooded in, and the tables were getting full. Lavender Brown came up and asked, embarrassed, if she could sit with us. She took the seat next to Ron, and I noticed him blush bright red. A smile touched my lips, and Harry was shaking with silent laughter next to me.  
  
Draco was the last student to walk in. Searching the room, he spotted the empty chair and took a seat. It was at the table next to ours, in a chair right behind me.  
  
"Hey," he whispered as he sat down. I turned halfway in my seat and smiled back at him, catching Harry's scowl out of the corner of my eye.  
  
Everyone was seated and gaping at the large, bright, beautiful room, a room totally inappropriate for a Dark Arts class. Suddenly, a young woman swept into the room from a door behind the desk in front, her robes sweeping behind her. "Hello, young Gryffindors, Slytherins," she greeted. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Professor Hayes, and I'll be your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." The class gaped at her, caught off guard by the woman. She must have been one of the...brightest teachers Hogwarts had ever seen. There was no other way to describe her cheery manner. She was young, maybe twenty-five or so, without a doubt the youngest professor currently in the staff. She had long blonde hair with pieces that fell and framed her perfectly sculpted face. I could see Harry and Ron both goggling at her, much as they had when they had first laid eyes on me after summer break.  
  
"So, I hear you've had some... problems, shall we say, with your Dark Arts professors in the past," she went on. "I assure you, I am no imposter, werewolf, vampire, anything of the sort. And I guarantee you," her voice grew more serious and colder as she went on "I am not a supporter of Voldemort." Half the class gasped at her use of the Dark Lord's name. I caught Harry's eye, and he raised his eyebrows at me, looking pleased.  
  
"I am right to assume you've heard of the Unforgivable Curses?" The class nodded, remembering one of Professor Moody's first lectures of the year last year. "I always like to begin a year by giving a bit of a demonstration of these. Now, just for a review, would someone mind telling me what these Curses are?"  
  
My hand shot in the air, and as it was the first one and no one else seemed too keen on answering, Professor Hayes called on me. "Miss Granger?" I suppose she had already been told our names. The professors at Hogwarts were very good with names.  
  
"Well, there's the Imperius curse, the Cruciatus curse, and then there's... Avada Kedavra," I whispered the last one, and glanced quickly at Harry out of the corner of my eye.  
  
"That's right, Miss Granger. I assume you all know what these curses do?" The class nodded again. "Right then. I've been told that last year, Professor... Muddy? Was that his name? No matter, I've heard that Dumbledore had you all put under the Imperius curse?" Again, we nodded. She seemed to expect this, as she paused just long enough to glance around the class to see that we were paying attention and confirming it. "Well, I'd like to do it again." At this, the class groaned. "Just to see how much better you've gotten!"  
  
It was much like last year. One by one, she called us up to the middle of the arc of desks, and put us under the curse. Most of the students were now able to put off the action for at least a few minutes, with the exception of Ron. He'd had a lot of trouble with the curse last year, and now he couldn't stop himself from hopping up and down on one foot while patting his head and rubbing his belly.  
  
When Harry was called up, Professor Hayes pointed her want at him. "Imperio!" she commanded. Sitting there watching, Hermione could see all expression wiped from Harry's face for a moment, then his features twisted in a look of great concentration. His eyes were shut tight for a few minutes, and finally he opened them with a look of triumph. He smiled, and turned to face Professor Hayes.  
  
"Well done, Mr. Potter!" she praised. "Well done, indeed! Class, Mr. Potter was able not only to refrain from doing as the curse commanded, but shed the Imperius curse entirely!" I smiled up at Harry from my seat, and he grinned broadly back. "You may have a seat, Mr. Potter."  
  
Next up was Draco. He also managed to stop himself from doing silly actions, but he was unable to shed the curse.  
  
After a few more students went up, I was the last one left. "Miss Granger, would you come up here now, please." Nervous, I walked shakily up to the center of the classroom and braced myself for the curse I knew was coming. Last year I had simply been unable to stop myself from committing the actions. This year I was determined not to do them.  
  
"Imperio!" I felt the wonderful nothingness, like I was simply floating, without a care in the world. Then I heard Professor Hayes' voice, telling me what to do.  
  
'Take out your wand, Miss Granger,' she told me in my head. Keeping my eyes open, I looked at her and saw that her lips weren't moving. She never told anyone what to do aloud, just her voice in her head. Concentrating as hard as I could, I tried to keep my hands clamped into fists at my side, but slowly, painfully, my right arm came up to draw my wand from my robes.  
  
'Point it at Mr. Malfoy, Hermione.' WHAT?! No way! I would NOT point my wand at Draco! I closed my eyes, concentrating very hard. 'Give Mr. Malfoy the Cruciatus curse, Hermione.' No. I couldn't do that to Draco. Never. I bit my lip until it bled, but would not open my mouth to say the words. Would not. Could not. I would not give Draco the Cruciatus curse. No.  
  
No matter how hard I tried to prevent it, I felt my mouth opening and forming a word. Crucio. No! Not thinking about anything but stopping myself from using the Cruciatus curse on Draco, I did the only thing I could do at that point. I wrenched my arm, so instead of my wand pointing at Draco, I was pointing it at myself. "Cr-u-ci-o!" I thought saying that word was agony, trying both not to say it and say it at the same time. I thought that was the worst pain I would ever feel. I was wrong.  
  
  
  
A/N: Wow! A long chapter! 2,291 words! I'm so proud of myself. What about that end, huh? I didn't expect myself to write that. Wonder what'll happen next? Wait for the next chapter to come out so you can find out! As always, thanks so very much to my reviewers:  
  
Melian Nilromen- Thanks! Great, I'm glad.  
  
Julie- Ok, I will. Thanks for the review.  
  
Tia- Thanks! Yeah, I know she's OOC... thanks SO MUCH for the suggestion, I'll definitely try it in future chapters. (So many people just review and say 'cool story' and I'm NOT COMPLAINING, but I love seeing suggestions and constructive criticism.) So thanks!  
  
SharkAttak- Thank you! 


	6. The Cruciatus Curse

Disclaimer: Yeah, I own this stuff... April Fool's! Hahahahaha. Ahem. No, I don't own it, JK Rowling does. And yeah, I know it's not April... I have issues. Leave me alone. Lol.  
  
Chapter 6- The Cruciatus Curse  
  
Draco's POV  
  
I sat there watching as Hermione fought the Imerius curse. At first, she had the look of wonderful nothingness, just as I had felt when I had undergone it a few minutes earlier. Then, she appeared to be concentrating very hard and trying not to, but she drew her wand.  
  
I watched, horrified, as she began pointing it. It wasn't really pointing at anyone in particular, as far as I knew, just sort of up at the ceiling above our heads. Her hand was shaking terribly, though, and it might drop at any moment.  
  
I watched as she bit her lip in concentration, trying to prevent her body from acting under the will of Professor Hayes. She stood there like that for what seemed like an eternity to me, waiting for her to move, but was actually only about three minutes. Her lip was bleeding and she looked like she was in terrible pain, and then she moved. Her wand, which was slowly moving toward us students, wrenched back to point at herself, as she screamed. "Cr-u-ci-o!"  
  
I watched, horrified, as she collapsed onto the floor. My knuckles turned white, gripping the arms of my chair. Hermione was lying on the floor in a tight curled up little ball, twitching uncontrollably. Tears were running down her cheeks, and her mouth was open in a blood-chilling shriek. I glanced at the professor for a moment, wondering what she was going to do about it, but she was still sitting on the edge of her desk, seemingly frozen in place.  
  
I heard the topple of chairs, and Potter was climbing over the table to get to her. Weasley appeared to be unable to move, but was staring with wide eyes. Before I knew what was happening, I was kneeling beside him, looking anxiously down at her. Potter had yanked her wand out of her hand and sent it skidding across the floor, and the curse appeared to be stopping. She had stopped screaming, but was still curled up on the floor, tears streaming down her face, twitching once in a while.  
  
I didn't have much experience with this curse, but I did the first thing that came to mind, hoping to get her aware again. I grabbed her hand and helped her sit up, with my arm around her shoulders. "Hermione! Hermione, look at me!" I yelled. Her eyes fluttered open for a second, and darted from Potter to me. Then they closed again, and she went limp in my arms.  
  
Without thinking, I hoisted her up and held her against my chest as I stood up. I looked once more at Professor Hayes, who was staring wide-eyed at the scene before her, her face wiped of any emotion whatsoever. The classroom was chaos, with some people shouting, some, like Weasley and Professor Hayes, unable to do anything but sit there watching what was happening. I looked Potter in the eye, then, without a word, turned and headed out the door.  
  
I was running down the corridor, hugging Hermione to my chest to keep her limp form from bouncing too much. I could hear Harry pounding along behind me, but kept running until I reached the stairs. I paused, thinking about where we were in relation to the infirmary. The new classroom was on the third floor, and the infirmary was on the first. I ran down the stairs, taking them two at a time while trying not to fall or drop Hermione. In all the excitement, I wasn't sure if she was breathing or not, and I didn't particularly want to stop to find out.  
  
When I reached the infirmary, I threw open the doors and looked around for Madam Pomfrey. She saw me before I spotted her, and rushed over, peering anxiously at Hermione. She directed me over to a hospital bed and instructed me to lay Hermione on it. I did so, and before I knew it, I was pushed out of the room, and a door was slammed in my face.  
  
I found myself staring at the grain of the wood door. I spun around angrily, wanting to know what was wrong with Hermione, and almost ran into Potter. He looked almost as pissed off as I was at not being able to see her. I watched as he paced back and forth across the 'waiting room' floor, then leaned up against a wall. He closed his eyes and let his back slide down, until he was sitting with his knees against his chest. He lowered his head into his hands, and just sat there, running his hands slowly through his hair.  
  
I sat down in a chair nearby, ready to wait as long as needed for Madam Pomfrey to come out and tell us how she was doing. I had completely forgotten about Defense Against the Dark Arts class. All that mattered now was Hermione.  
  
  
  
I must have fallen asleep, because when I opened my eyes next, it was dark. I waited for my eyes to adjust, then looked around, and saw Madam Pomfrey sitting in a chair on the opposite wall, reading a muggle magazine. Instantly, I hopped up. "How is she?" I blurted out. She calmly looked up and smiled at me. I resisted the urge to slug her for being so smug; I needed her to tell me where Hermione was and how she was doing.  
  
"She'll be fine, dear. You got her here on time, or she might not have been." I paled. "It was very interesting. We've never had anyone put themselves under the Cruciatus Curse before, and there were some complications with that. But she'll be fine." Before Madam Pomfrey was done talking, I was at the door to Hermione's room, tugging and pulling with all my might to get it open, but it wouldn't budge. She walked (calmly... damn her) over and pushed gently on the door. It opened.  
  
I peeked inside, saw that Hermione was awake and well, and my heart leaped. I tried to rush to her side without seeming in too much of a hurry. The result was slow, long strides.  
  
She looked up at me as I walked in, and smiled when I arrived at her side. She looked really weak, laying in the white bed, and her skin was almost as pale as the sheets. "Hey," I said softly. "What was that all about? What happened?"  
  
She looked confused. "I... I don't remember." My eyes widened. "Madam Pomfrey said something about the Cruciatus curse. Do you know what happened?"  
  
I sighed. "What's the last thing you remember?"  
  
"I remember Professor Hayes calling me up to go through the Imperius curse, and... that's all."  
  
"Okay, well, you were under the Imperius curse, and it wasn't going too well," I explained. She nodded, so I went on. "You took out your wand, and it looked like you were going to perform a curse or something on one of the students. Your wand was just sort of raised, not really pointing at anyone or anything, and you were fighting it hard. Then you couldn't control it anymore, and instead of performing the curse on one of the students, you wrenched your whole arm around and performed the Cruciatus curse on yourself." Hermione's eyes widened, and she gasped. "It's probably a good thing you don't remember, because from what I saw, it was very painful."  
  
She had tears welling up in her eyes, and they looked about to overflow. I regretted telling her, since it seemed to upset her so much. "Potter... Harry... was here, too," I told her, trying to take her mind off what I had just said.  
  
She nodded. "Yeah, he came to see me right after Madam Pomfrey left me. He wouldn't tell me what happened. He looked awful, so I told him he should go to sleep." Her last comment reminded me that it had been dark out in the waiting room, and I looked around until I found a clock. 1:45 in the morning.  
  
Just then Madam Pomfrey walked back in, and gave Hermione something to drink. She made a face, but finished the whole thing. I saw the results almost instantly; her skin regained some of it's normal color, and she looked stronger. It must have been a pretty strong potion.  
  
"When can she leave?" I asked.  
  
Madam Pomfrey looked skeptical. "Well, I don't know..."  
  
Hermione sat up in her bed. "I feel lots better, Madam, honestly. I think I can go now."  
  
She still looked skeptical, though, so I reassured her. "I'll be there, Madam, to look after her." I gave he an ironic smile.  
  
"Well, okay, if you're sure you feel better Hermione, I suppose I can let you go now." She turned to me. "Draco, you take care of her, you hear? If you notice any changes for the worst, bring her back right away, alright?" I smiled and assured her that I would.  
  
I helped Hermione out of the bed and walked with her down the hallway and up the stairs, letting her lean on me. "Aucunes craintes," I muttered, and helped her through the portal. We tiptoed inside, trying not to wake anyone, and went up our staircase. I leant against my wall, and she opened her door.  
  
"Okay, well... feel better, okay?" I muttered. I couldn't believe it. While all this was happening, I didn't think twice about it, all that mattered was that Hermione get to the infirmary and be okay. Now that I thought about it, I realized that I really did care about her. I cared a lot, more than I was ready to admit. Man, if my father ever found out that I cared about a 'Mudblood'...  
  
"Okay," she smiled. "Thanks, Draco. For everything."  
  
"Yeah," I murmured. "No problem."  
  
"Well... goodnight," she whispered.  
  
"'Night." I turned to walk into my room.  
  
"Oh, and don't let me sleep late again, alright?" I turned around to her smiling face, and grinned back at her.  
  
"Oh, I won't let it happen again."  
  
  
  
A/N: How sweet! I'm really sorry if Draco is too OOC for you guys, but I didn't know how to transition him. Hopefully it'll get better later on. Review!!! Thanks to people who did:  
  
Hannah- Thanks, I'm really glad you like it!  
  
DemonWitch666- Thanks!! I completely agree. I love H/D fics, and it's cool when they live together. Hehe  
  
The Brainless Wonder- Thank you so much!!  
  
Kaite- OMG!! Thank you soooo much! That's a big compliment to me!  
  
Megan- Thank you! I will keep on with this story, don't worry, and don't be sorry! (  
  
TFG- YAY!! Thank you so much!! 5 reviews! Thanks for your information about the robes!! ( ( 


	7. Planning

Disclaimer: Draco's mine!! He's all mine!!! Muahahahaha!! Well, okay, maybe not. JKR owns all the characters and settings. Only the plot's mine.  
  
Chapter 7- Planning  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
"Hermione!" Draco said softly. "Hermione, wake up!"  
  
I groaned and rolled over, regretting already telling Draco to wake me up in the morning. He wouldn't give up, though, so I carefully slid my feet to the floor, giving him my most deadly glare. Satisfied, he grinned, stood up, and left me on my own to grab my robes and trudge sleepily downstairs.  
  
When I got to the common room, I saw that Hannah was in our bathroom, so I decided to lie down on my couch and wait for her. That was a mistake. Before I knew it, I awoke to the feeling of someone staring at me. I opened my eyes to see Draco standing above me, grinning wickedly. "I'm going, I'm going!" I groaned. I practically fell off the couch, got up, and walked into the bathroom, aware of Draco smirking at me the whole way. I slammed the door and turned on the shower.  
  
I drowned my sleepiness in the hot water, and inhaled the scent of my shampoo, feeling very relaxed. It wasn't until I turned off the water and dried myself that I realized I had left my robes on my couch. "Dammit," I mumbled. I slipped on a fluffy red terry robe and tied the gold sash around my waist. Feeling self-conscious, I crossed my arms over my chest and crossed the common room to my couch, snatched up my robes, and retreated back to the bathroom. My back was turned, so I didn't see Draco blush slightly pink as he watched me.  
  
After dressing, drying my hair, and applying some makeup, I re- entered the common room to find everyone ready and waiting for me. I smiled at the room, then left for breakfast through the map painting.  
  
When I reached the Great Hall, I walked over to my usual place at the Gryffindor table. I plopped down between Harry and Ron, and lay my head on my arms. I still felt a little groggy. That potion Madam Pomfrey gave me must have been a strong sleeping potion, because I had no problem at all getting to sleep last night.  
  
"Hermione!" Harry and Ron chorused. I looked up at their beaming faces.  
  
"God, Hermione, you gave us a scare!" Ron cried. "I'm so glad you're alright!"  
  
Before I knew it, I was swept up into a hug by Harry. "Me too," he murmured.  
  
"Well, I'm fine now, so you can just relax," I said, slipping out of Harry's grip. I could feel my face flush slightly, and hoped that no one noticed. I glanced at Harry and saw that he was blushing, too.  
  
"Hermione..." Ron started, staring puzzled at me. "What was that all about?" Obviously Harry hadn't told him that I didn't remember what had happened. I looked at him, a question in my eyes.  
  
"I went right to sleep last night," Harry smiled sheepishly. "I thought you could tell him."  
  
Ron looked concerned. "Tell me what?" he asked anxiously.  
  
"I don't remember what happened." I told him. He stared at me like I was crazy.  
  
"You don't remember?" he cried. "How could you not remember, Hermione? It was awful!"  
  
"I know, I know, that's what I've been told, but..." I shook my head as if to clear my thoughts. "I just don't know..."  
  
"It's okay. I think it's probably better that you don't," Ron said, wide-eyed. That was exactly what Draco had said last night.  
  
"Yeah... Draco told me." Harry's eyes darkened at the mention of Draco. "So does anyone know what happened in Dark Arts class after I left?"  
  
"Yeah," Ron said. "Right after Draco ran out with you..." He stopped when he saw my eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "What?"  
  
"Draco brought me?" I questioned, making sure I heard right. Harry was scowling furiously.  
  
"Well, yeah. Didn't he tell you?"  
  
"No..."  
  
"Oh. Well how did you think you got there?" I hadn't really thought about it. I guess I assumed Harry brought me, but looking at Harry's expression, I didn't say anything about it. I just shrugged, so Ron continued. "Anyways, after he picked you up and left, and Harry ran after you, everybody erupted. The girls were screaming, the guys were all running around; it was chaos.  
  
Professor Hayes finally seemed to come to her senses-" Seeing my confused look, he stopped and sighed. "You really don't remember anything, huh? Okay, well as soon as you... you know, collapsed, she just sat there, frozen on her desk. I don't know what was going on in your head, exactly, and neither do you, but she must have been telling you to do the Cruciatus curse on somebody." We were all silent. Performing an Unforgivable Curse on another human being was one of the worst things you could ever do in the wizarding world.  
  
"Well after you did it to yourself, we couldn't see any emotion on her face, and then a few minutes after you all left, she seemed to come back to reality. She stood up and yelled for everyone to calm down, and after a bit more yelling, they did. She seemed, actually... not too concerned." He shrugged. "She must've known you'd be alright. Then the next class I went to was Transfiguration, and I told McGonagall what happened, but she said she already knew, and that you could get your assignments next class."  
  
"Thanks, Ron," I said, giving him an appreciative grin.  
  
  
  
  
  
The time flew by after that without any incidents, and before I knew it, it was October 3rd. All of us prefects were gathered around the common room, and had nothing to do, seeing as we'd already finished our homework. Terry was sitting on his couch, and Hannah was leaning against him, with her feet hanging over the arm. Draco was sprawled over his couch, his long, lanky legs hanging over the edge, which seemed to be his favorite position. I was sitting with my back against my couch, stretching my legs. F  
  
"Doesn't it seem like we should be doing something?" Terry asked lazily, rubbing Hannah's hair. It seemed that living together for the past month had only improved their relationship.  
  
"Yeah..." I sighed. "But what is there to do?" I had barely gotten the sentence out when I gasped. Everyone turned to look at me. "You guys!" I cried. "We forgot about the Halloween event!"  
  
Hannah's eyes widened, and Draco sat up. "You're right!" he said. "We need to plan that before the 15th, and then get it set up!"  
  
I hopped up. "I'll be right back, and then we can get to work and start planning, okay?"  
  
I ran up the stairs, got into my pajamas, a pair of silk blue bottoms with white clouds and a white spaghetti strap shirt, and grabbed some parchment and a quill. When I opened the door, I ran into a hard chest. I looked up into Draco's eyes, and he smiled down at me. "We gotta stop doing this," he muttered, and I laughed. I backed up, allowing him to go down the stairs, and followed him back down to the common room. He had changed into his pajamas, too, and was wearing black bottoms with a tight black t-shirt. Much against my will, I found myself gaping at his nice muscles. 'Maybe that's why he didn't hang around Crabbe and Goyle anymore,' I thought. They were his muscled bodyguards, but, from the looks of it, he could more than take care of himself now.  
  
It looked as if Hannah and Terry hadn't moved. Draco resumed his position, and I lay down on the floor on my stomach, with the parchment in front of me and quill in hand. "Okay, feel free to yell out ideas!" Apparently no one had any, because it was silent. "Ooooookaaay..." I turned to see Draco, and he shrugged as best he could while lying down. Hannah and Terry were both quiet.  
  
"Okay. Well, I was thinking, maybe we could do a haunted house?" I suggested.  
  
Hannah, who was muggle-born also (A/N: I don't think it ever says if she is or not... She is in this fic. Forgive me) piped up. "Oh, no! I hate haunted houses!" I guess I could have expected this. She was, after all, a Hufflepuff.  
  
Terry craned his neck to see her face. "What's a haunted house?" he asked.  
  
"Well, basically, it's just...," Hannah tried to answer, but couldn't find the right words. "Hermione, you explain it."  
  
"It's just a house full of scary stuff, and it's normally dark."  
  
Draco gave a small smile. "Maybe I would like this haunted house thing."  
  
I shook my head at him. "No, I don't think you would. They're normally pretty lame."  
  
"Okay, fine," he pouted, and lied back down.  
  
We were all silent again, thinking. "Oh, I know!" Hannah shouted a moment later. "We should do a costume ball!"  
  
I beamed at her. "That's a great idea! What do you guys think?" Both Draco and Terry looked at each other, shrugged, and nodded. "Okay, great!" I was really pleased with our plan.  
  
"Okay, so what should we have at this thing?" Draco asked.  
  
After about an hour of writing down ideas and crossing things out, we had decided that we would have the students decide their own costumes, and that's about it. Hannah had fallen asleep on Terry's shoulder, and he was yawning. "Well, we're off to sleep," he said tiredly. "Are you two staying up?"  
  
"Yeah," I replied. "We need to get this done, so I figure I'll just stay up a while longer." I looked at Draco, and he nodded. He was staying up, too.  
  
He tried to get up without waking Hannah, but failed, and he helped her stumble up the stairs to her room.  
  
I sighed, and ran my hands through my hair. "Well, so far we have:  
  
Halloween Costume Ball  
  
Students decide costumes  
  
And that's it." Draco laughed, and I groaned, flopping down on the floor with my head on my arms, which made him laugh even harder.  
  
I rolled over to my back with my arms under my head and glared at him. "Okay," he said. "Let's get down to business." I nodded, and got up to sit cross-legged on my couch, facing him. "Let's start with food," he suggested. "I think we should have punch to drink, maybe with some candy from Honeydukes. What do you think?"  
  
"I was thinking we could have some potato chips or something, too." He raised one eyebrow at me, and I explained that they were a muggle food, very popular. Surprisingly, he agreed; I had expected him to reject 'Mudblood food' right away. "Okay," I said, trying to keep the surprise out of my voice. I wrote our food selections down on my parchment.  
  
"How about music?" I asked. We discussed that for a while, and decided on a mixture of Muggle and wizard music. We got a few more things covered, and I tried to stifle a yawn, but Draco caught it.  
  
"Hey," he said, looking at me. "How about we call it a night? We got a lot covered tonight, and we have till the 15th."  
  
"Yeah, okay," I agreed, standing up and stretching. "You wanna keep this?" I asked, holding out the parchment to him.  
  
"Sure," he replied, and took it, following me up the stairs.  
  
"Goodnight," I called over my shoulder as I went into my room.  
  
"Goodnight," Draco muttered softly. I climbed into bed and under the covers, and was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.  
  
  
  
A/N: AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!! I'm so excited. Only like 19 more hours until I get to go see the second Harry Potter movie. It's not near as good as the books, but I'm looking forward to it all the same. What? Oh, right, the story! Uh.... This was kind of a pointless chapter, but I felt like I needed to get another one done. Hopefully the next one will be more... relevant. PLEASE review! I love reviews. ( Thanks to the people who did:  
  
Starrynights13- Lol, thanks for the review!! I would've updated sooner but ff.net was down last night. (  
  
Dragoness666- Thank you!! I'm glad I have a new comer!! (  
  
Darcel- *wince* Yeah, I know... I'm sorry!!! My friend reminded me of that after I posted that chapter, but I didn't wanna fix it and tell people they had to re-read it... Can you forgive me?? I'll try never to let it happen again, promise.  
  
Demonstar- I know they rule!!! OMG they're my favorite. I'll have fluff soon, I hope, but I need to lead gently into it, cause I'm always afraid to make Draco too OOC, which I think I'm doing anyways, but... yeah. 


	8. Dates

Disclaimer: We've been through this, people! If you think I own this stuff, you're confusing me with the wonderful and talented JK Rowling.  
  
Chapter 8- Dates  
  
Hermione's POV (again)  
  
On October 15th, we gave the now finalized Halloween plan to Dumbledore, and he was very pleased with what we'd come up with.  
  
"If I could have your attention, please?" he called after dinner, standing up from his place at the head table. "I have an announcement to make regarding the Halloween event!" The hall fell silent at this.  
  
"Our prefects have been brewing ideas, and they have come up with one that I believe you will all enjoy. This year's Hogwarts' Annual Halloween event will be a costume ball on Halloween night, following the feast." The students erupted in applause, and I smiled. At least they liked it. I glanced across the hall at Draco, and he had a small smile on his face, too. Just before I looked away, he glanced over at me, and we caught each other's eyes. I smiled wider, and so did he, then I broke away to talk to my housemates.  
  
"Wow, Hermione, why didn't you tell us?" Seamus cried.  
  
"Yeah, Mione, how come?" Ron echoed.  
  
I grinned. "I just wanted it to be a surprise, that's all."  
  
"Well it's a really great idea," Dean told me.  
  
"Yeah," Neville added. "I can't wait!"  
  
After dinner, I followed Harry and Ron to the Gryffindor common room. I hadn't had much time for them lately, with homework and planning, so I decided to set everything aside, just for one night. (Harry had been after me about studying too much ever since the beginning of the year.)  
  
I have to admit, it was very nice to just waste away the night, talking and laughing with all my old friends. Ron and Seamus started a game of wizard's chess, and by 9:30 it was getting rather heated. Dean was helping Seamus, who was checked by Ron's queen, and Harry and I were sitting on a couch watching.  
  
He had been acting sort of strange the whole evening. "Mione?" he asked tentatively.  
  
I turned on the couch away from the chess game. "What is it, Harry?"  
  
"Well, erm... I was wondering, are you going to the Halloween thing? The Ball? And... and if you are, would you go with me?" He said all this in a rush, looking at anything but me, and now he looked me straight in the eye, as if afraid to look away.  
  
I was surprised by the question, but recovered quickly. I beamed. "Harry, I would love to go to the dance with you!" I exclaimed.  
  
He looked relieved, and grinned. "Great! Thanks!" He just sat there grinning like an idiot for a few seconds, and I laughed.  
  
It was 10:00, and everyone except for Harry and me had gone up to bed. "Okay," I yawned. "I'm gonna get back and go to bed, alright?" Harry smiled at me and untangled his fingers from mine.  
  
"Well... goodnight, then," he said. I smiled.  
  
"Goodnight," I replied. I watched him go up the stairs, then turned to the spot on the wall where I knew the portal was. "Aucunes craintes," I whispered, and it opened. I went through, changed into my pajamas, and went downstairs to wash up and brush my teeth.  
  
It was dark, and I assumed everyone was either asleep or studying in their rooms for the night. After I had done that, I was feeling more awake, and decided to get some work done. I could do my transfiguration for McGonagall. I had been trying to catch up ever since that day I missed when I was at the infirmary-  
  
I was halfway up the stairs when I remembered that I had leant my notes to Draco. 'Man,' I thought to myself, joking good-naturedly. 'Why do I have to be such a nice person?'  
  
I really did need to finish that work, so I decided to get it from Draco. He would probably be awake anyways. I walked quietly up our stairs. I wasn't sure why, though, because even if he wasn't awake I would be waking him up in a few seconds.  
  
I tapped softly on his door. "Draco?" I called as quietly as I could. No answer. "Draco!" I called, louder this time.  
  
"Mmmhmmm!" I heard from the other side of the door. I took this as a 'door's open please come in' and cautiously entered his room. He was obviously not awake. He was in his bed, tangled in covers, laying on his side with his back to her.  
  
Grinning evilly, I decided to be mean. I took out my wand and put a silencing charm on the room, took a deep breath, and bellowed, "DRACO!" as loud as I could.  
  
This sure got his attention. He gave a little yell, sat bolt upright with wide eyes and looked around. His gaze fell upon me, standing there grinning wickedly, and he glared at me, groaned, and fell back down. "God, Hermione, don't DO that!" he exclaimed. Then he opened his eyes again and peered at me curiously. "What are you doing in my bedroom in the middle of the night?" he asked slyly, his eyes sliding over me. I remembered what I was wearing to bed, which happened to be a short, silky, spaghetti strapped nightgown, and crossed my arms, glaring at him.  
  
"I need my transfiguration notes," I informed him.  
  
"What for? Jeez, it's already..." he paused, glancing at the clock above his head on the wall. "10:30," he grumbled. "So I guess it isn't that late." He pulled himself up and slid his feet onto the floor, and I couldn't help but stare, hoping he couldn't tell.  
  
He was wearing nothing other than black boxers with silver stripes on them. He stood up and I could see his finely toned muscles. He had great arms, not too huge but nicely toned, and abs to die for. He must have noticed me looking at him, though, because before he handed over my Transfiguration notes, he gave me a sly, lop-sided grin. I rolled my eyes, and made a grab for my notes, but he pulled them away. I stood on my tippy- toes, but he was much taller than me, and could easily hold it out of my reach. I glared at him, then made another lunge, but still he yanked them away.  
  
"Come on, hand them over!" I yelled, glad I had put the charm on his room. He was still grinning and had a mischievous glint in his eye. "Come- " I made another lunge, but missed again, "on, Draco!" He raised an eyebrow at me.  
  
"What are you gonna do about it, huh, Granger?" He seemed so confident of himself, I just had to prove him wrong. Quick as a flash, I lunged again, but this time toward his bed. I grabbed a pillow, and thumped him with it as hard as I could. He spun around in surprise, and I laughed. "Oh, you're in for it now, Hermione!"  
  
Draco grabbed a silver pillow off his bed and we started an all-out war. By the end, feathers were fluttering through the air everywhere, and I had Draco pinned. "Give up?" I asked, breathing heavily. He nodded, and I rolled off. Grabbing my notes, I stalked out before he could do anything. This was partly because I was pissed at him for keeping my notes, and partly out of surprise. I had just had a PILLOW fight with Malfoy.  
  
When I got back to my room and set about working, spreading my books all around me at my desk.  
  
  
  
Draco's POV  
  
'I can't believe it,' I thought. 'It's true. I actually like the Mudblood.' I could hardly believe what I was doing, but I was out of bed and at Hermione's bedroom door, debating whether or not I wanted to do what I... wanted to do.  
  
Making up my mind, I swung open her door, and opened my mouth, then closed it again. Hermione was sitting in her chair with her arms on her books, and her head on her arms, asleep. I sighed, and without even giving it a second thought, I picked her up and put her in her bed, pulling the covers up over her.  
  
I climbed back into my bed, somewhat disappointed. I would wait until the next day to ask Hermione to the dance.  
  
  
  
Still Draco's POV  
  
I lay there on my couch, fuming, listening to Hannah and Terry discuss Potions. I was recalling the events of earlier that day, at lunch. Hermione was in her usual spot at the Gryffindor table, between Potter and Weasley, and seemed very happy. She was grinning wildly at Potter, and kept leaning over to talk to him. I thought nothing of it at first, as she was almost always with them.  
  
Later, though, I saw them in the hallway. Their fingers were woven together, and they were happily discussing what they were going to go to the ball as. TOGETHER.  
  
Actually, I couldn't quite decide whether I was seething or heartbroken. I decided on being furious for the time being.  
  
  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
The night before the ball, I was in the Gryffindor common room with Harry. Our relationship had grown much stronger over the past week and a half, and he'd even kissed me a few times. We had been sitting on the floor, studying, but it was late and I was tired. We were the only three left in the common room, and Ron, seeing his chance, left, leaving Harry and I alone. He walked me over to the portal, and kissed me briefly, softly.  
  
"Goodnight," I smiled at him.  
  
"'Night, Mione."  
  
When I went back down to my own common room, now clad in my pajamas and ready to wash up, I found Dumbledore getting up to leave. When I came down, he looked at me, and gave me the condensed version of what he had just told the others.  
  
"Hermione, I will tell you what I've just told the others. I would like the prefects to start off the dance, as is tradition here at Hogwarts." I gaped at him. "In the past, the prefects have even accompanied each other to the dance," he added, seeing my astonished look. He raised his eyebrows. "Just be glad I'm not requiring you to do that." He let himself out of the portrait, leaving me staring at the wall.  
  
Of course, Hannah and Terry would be going with each other to the dance, so naturally they would dance together for the first dance. That left her with Draco. She glanced at him, and he didn't look happy AT ALL.  
  
"So, Draco, I guess that means we get to share a dance," I said dejectedly. Draco just shot me an icy glare. I shrugged, and went into the bathroom to get ready for bed. I didn't have that much of a problem with it, as long as I still got to go with Harry. I smiled at my reflection in the mirror at the thought of Harry. We would be able to spend the whole evening together the next day.  
  
  
  
A/N: That's all for this chapter!! I was going to add more, and have the title be Dates and Dances, but the chapter was way too long, so I cut it up! Look forward to the next chapter soon!! ( And people who may be doubting it, this WILL still be a Hr/D fic, don't worry. Lol, doesn't seem like it now, does it? I have surprises. *evil grin* Thanks to all my reviewers, as always:  
  
DemonWitch666- hehehe. Thanks a lot for the review. As for the professor... you'll see.  
  
Fiery-chan- 1st review: Thanks. 2nd review: Lol, don't worry, I have through chapter 11 written, and I think there's a part in there like that. Coming up soon! Hehe.  
  
Starrynights13- Thank you! I needed to hear that somebody thinks Draco's ok, cause I wasn't so sure. Thanks.  
  
Greenleaf Arrow- Yes! I agree that they should definitely get together, and don't worry, it will happen eventually, but in future chapters. I have the chapters written up to ch. 11, and they are ALMOST together, I think. I need to work it out though.  
  
PrincessDarkness- Love your name. Yeah, I know... I had completely forgotten about the whole Peter Petigrew thing in the first chapter, I'm so sorry! My friend reminded me, but I didn't think I needed to repost the chapter and make people read it all over again just for that. I will if u want me to, just say.  
  
Corvixen- Thanks for the robe thing. Lol.  
  
Person with no name- Well, I'm sorry you think my story is a 'cheap rip- off'. I have read the story I Won't Walk Away and I think it's absolutely amazing. I know that the trip thing is the same so far, but I guarantee there will be MAJOR differences.  
  
The Adoorable kitten Fluffy- Lol, THANK YOU!! I love HG/DM fics too! 


	9. Dances

Disclaimer: You recognize it, I don't own it. JKR has that privilege.  
  
Chapter 9- Dances  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
I took one last glance in the mirror, admiring my costume. Harry and I had decided on going as Romeo and Juliet. We both agreed that it was one of our favorite pieces by Shakespeare, even though it had no magic.  
  
My dress somewhat resembled the Renaissance time. There were two layers of cloth. The top was a deep red color, trimmed with silver at the neckline, hem, and elbows. The neckline was very low, not at my neck at all, and the bottom layer underneath was shown, tied together with criss- crossing silver laces. It clung to all my curves until it reached my waist, where it gently flowed down. The sleeves were tight to my elbows, then flared out. At the bottom, the red top layer split, revealing the light cream color underneath.  
  
I had lightly curled my hair, and it flowed down my back. I had even applied a tiny bit of makeup for the event, including lip gloss that made my lips glitter and shine. I smiled at my reflection, and she smiled back, revealing dazzling white teeth. "You look amazing, Hermione!" the mirror- image told me. I ran a brush through my hair one last time before exiting the bathroom for the common room, allowing the panicky Hannah into the room.  
  
The guys were waiting impatiently in the living room, and I joined them, waiting for Hannah to finish so we could leave.  
  
"Hermione!" Terry cried. "You look amazing!" I smiled appreciatively at him. He nudged Draco, who was turned around fiddling with something.  
  
He was scowling when he turned around, but it disappeared when his eyes fell on me. I saw a mixture of many emotions register in his face, including shock, wonder, embarrassment, and something else...  
  
It was quickly replaced by a sneer, however. He opened his mouth to say something rude, no doubt, but the bathroom door burst open. Hannah swept in, smiling. She looked beautiful in her midnight blue dress, and Terry was very handsome in his suit with a matching tie. They had, of course, had no problem when Dumbledore had asked them to open the dance together. He had also told them they should dress a little to match, so Hannah and Terry both wore dark blue. Since Draco and I were being forced to dance together, he had incorporated a deep red, sparkling cape to his otherwise black costume. He was a vampire, complete with teeth spelled to be longer.  
  
A knock came on the portal and, curiously, Draco went to open it. He was about to slam it shut again when I caught sight of who it was, and stopped him.  
  
"Harry!" I said happily, running to the portal. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Why, accompanying you to the dance, of course!" He said this as if it was common knowledge and everyone should've known it.  
  
"Oh! How sweet!" He offered me his arm and I took it, walking into the hallway, followed by Hannah and Terry, and a reluctant, scowling Draco.  
  
Harry also looked very handsome. His Romeo costume was missing some of it's frills and ruffles, and I eyed him suspiciously; he grinned sheepishly at me, shrugging. I knew he'd spelled them off. But now that I saw the suit without, I thought it looked better. It was dark red and cream, like my dress, and looked wonderful on him.  
  
"Hey, listen Harry," I began. I still hadn't told him I had to open the dance with Draco. "I-I can't dance the first song with you," I told him. "It's just that Dumbledore told us we had to open the dance together, us prefects." I stopped, waiting for him to respond. "I'm sorry."  
  
He brushed it off, much to my relief. "Don't worry about it," he assured me. "We have all night together. Actually, I feel sorry for YOU! You have to dance with Malfoy!" he laughed, gesturing back to where Draco was. He was giving Harry and I a glare that could kill. I laughed with him.  
  
"I'm glad you understand," I said, giving him a quick hug before hurrying off with the other three to see Dumbledore, standing near the entrance to the Great Hall.  
  
"I would like to congratulate you all," Dumbledore said, nodding at the four of us. "On making this such an outstanding event." With that, he threw open the doors, allowing us to enter, smiling at our reaction.  
  
Of course, I knew what it was going to look like, but the final appearance was more spectacular than I could have ever believed. The tables had been pushed up against the walls and were holding refreshments. The ceiling, as always, portrayed the weather, which happened to be a dark, clear night with thousands of stars, perfect for the mood of the night. Hannah and Terry had put up the decorations Draco and I came up with, and they looked wonderful. There were floating candles everywhere, sparkling in the dim light. I looked at the others, admiring our work, and they were all grinning. I smiled. "Wow," I breathed. "We did a pretty good job, didn't we?"  
  
"You and Draco did an excellent job," Terry corrected. I looked at him, puzzled. "Hannah and I didn't really do that much, just put up what you and Draco came up with," he explained. "You and Draco are the ones who really put it all together."  
  
Soon the rest of the students were filtering in, gaping. Some gasped, taking in the change the room had undergone since dinner.  
  
Too soon, it seemed, the music was starting and I had to drag Draco onto the dance floor. 'Damn them,' I thought. The song playing was a Muggle slow song. I put my hands on Draco's shoulders, my arms as stiff as possible, and his went to my waist.  
  
I could say this for Draco: he was a good dancer. As we swayed slowly to the music, I found myself relaxing. I let my arms relax, and Draco moved closer to me. I linked my hands behind his neck, and it was all I could do to restrain myself from resting my head on his shoulder. 'What the hell is up?' I asked myself as the song wore on. 'This is Malfoy, remember?'  
  
But even as I told myself that, I started remembering how much more we'd grown comfortable with each other over the past two months. Helping him with Transfiguration, and him, in turn, helping me with our potions. And then there was that pillow fight...  
  
Apparently, he was deep in thought as well, because when the song ended, he was still holding me. "Draco," I whispered. "It's over. You can let go now." He looked at me for a moment, then turned and left the hall without another word. 'Okay, that was weird.'  
  
Ron noticed, too, because when he approached me with Harry, Lavender in tow, he asked, "Hey, what's up with Malfoy?"  
  
I shrugged, then looked up at Harry expectantly as another, faster song began. "You wanna dance?" he asked. I grinned my answer and he pulled me onto the floor, followed closely by Ron and Lavender.  
  
After dancing for awhile, Harry and I went to get something to eat. We piled our paper plates with junk food, and took a seat at a table with Terry and Hannah.  
  
"Hi! Are you guys having fun?" Hannah asked.  
  
"A blast!" Harry replied, and I grinned. I certainly was having a blast, but I couldn't stop thinking about Draco, much to my dismay. I hadn't seen him since he left after the first dance.  
  
"How abut you?" I asked unnecessarily. The two were grinning wildly, and looked to be having the time of their lives.  
  
"It's great! We're having an amazing time." A slow song was starting, and Hannah's eyes widened. "I love this song! Come on, let's dance!" she exclaimed, and pulled Terry up with her. I smiled, watching the two start dancing again.  
  
Ron and Lavender took their seats, and when they were done eating we all got back up to dance again.  
  
Two hours and five glasses of punch later, everyone was exhausted and leaving. Harry walked me back to the Gryffindor common room, and stopped at the portal to my room. There were a bunch of people milling around in there, so I invited him into my room. 'Just this once,' I told myself.  
  
I whispered the password so I thought no one could hear, and pulled Harry through with me. His eyes widened as he looked around, and I grinned; I had forgotten how beautiful the room was to someone who had never seen it before.  
  
"I wanna be a prefect," he breathed, and I giggled. He looked at me and started laughing as well.  
  
Suddenly, without warning, he bent down and brushed his lips softly against mine. He pulled back quickly, coming back and deepening the kiss. He wrapped his arms around my waist, and I put my arms around his neck.  
  
There was a quiet knock on my door, and we sprang apart just in time. "Hermione, are-" Draco cut off abruptly when he saw Harry with me. He slid his eyes from me, to Harry, and back to me, and I could feel myself blushing.  
  
"What, Draco?" I asked.  
  
"Nevermind," he answered coldly. He gave Harry one last glare before shutting the door again.  
  
"Well, I guess I should get going, then," said Harry, breaking the uncomfortable silence.  
  
"Yeah..." I said. "Goodnight, Harry." He bent over to kiss me once more, then pulled away and went back to the portal.  
  
"Goodnight Hermione." I closed the portal after him, and sighed, leaning against the wall. Then I changed into pajamas, washed up downstairs, and climbed into bed.  
  
Even after what had happened with Harry, my last thoughts before I drifted off to sleep were of Draco.  
  
  
  
Draco's POV  
  
Potter. In Hermione's bedroom, for goodness sake! I lay there on top of my bed covers, half heartbroken, half furious at Hermione. I remembered the lyrics to the song we had danced to earlier that night:  
  
-If she only knew What I know but couldn't say If she could only see The part of me that I hid away If I could just hold her in my arms again And just say I love you But she's gone away, maybe she'd stay If she only knew  
  
If she could just feel What I feel here in my heart She'd know it was real Pure and true right from the start But I'm just a man who didn't understand What she was going through But she's gone away, maybe she'd stay If only she knew  
  
And how, how did I let her get away Cause love, love is so easy to feel But the hardest thing to say  
  
If she could just see What I see when I close my eyes All that I dream Surely she would realize But like a fool I waited much too long To let her know the truth She's gone away, maybe she'd stay If she only knew'  
  
Tell me, tell me how How did I let her get away (tell me) Cause I guess that love Love is too easy to feel But the hardest thing to say  
  
If she only knew What I knew but could not say If she could just see The part of me that I hid away If I could just hold her in my arms again And just say I love you She's gone away, maybe she'd stay If only she knew, if only she knew-  
  
I had been about to ask her to the dance the other day, but then I saw her with Potter. And here I was again, tonight, about to try to talk to her again, and Potter was there, again. Maybe, just maybe, if only she knew, she'd choose me over Harry. Just maybe.  
  
  
  
A/N: Too OOC, I know, I know. It's awful. I'm sorry. By the way, I don't own the song, it's If Only She Knew by 98 Degrees. (Don't think I have a button for degrees on my computer, lol.) Okay, I'm really really really sorry, but I'm not gonna respond to reviews anymore, k? You guys are reviewing a ton, and I'm SOOOOO happy, but it just takes up too much time to respond to them. Sorry! Okay well I hope you do keep reviewing, and I hope you like it. Thanks for reading! 


	10. Breaking Up

Disclaimer: I'm flattered if you think I made up all this amazing stuff, but I can't take credit for it. All the stuff you recognize belongs to JK Rowling.  
  
A/N: My friend, daydreamer, helped me a lot with this chapter, and I would like to thank her. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! She has a Harry Potter fic too, called Only He Can Know. So check it out, it's really really good!!  
  
Chapter 10- Breaking Up  
  
Draco's POV (thought it was time for him to have some input)  
  
"Okay, so how many people do you think should be in one group?" Terry asked. All four of us were in our normal positions, with me sprawled on my couch, Hermione sitting on the floor, and Hannah leaning against Terry on his couch.  
  
It was November 15th, and we'd just had a visit from Dumbledore. He'd told us to start working on the class trip, and given us some guidelines. The students would be put in groups to stay in the places, whether it be hotels or something else, and we should mix up students from different houses. He'd told us it was all up to us what groups to put the students in, and where to have them go (but he would be approving of the list) and how to arrange for the travel. He'd told us that money wasn't a matter, and to plan the best. We had to book where the students would be staying, and everything.  
  
"Maybe we should have four people in a group," Hannah suggested. "That way we could put one person from each house, and if we run out, just fill in the groups with the rest."  
  
Terry smiled down at her and kissed her on the forehead. "I think that's a wonderful idea," he said, looking up to see what we thought of it. I saw Hermione nod her head, and I shrugged.  
  
"Sounds good," Hermione said, jotting it down on her parchment. "Okay. I think we should split up and work separately on different things, so we can get it done sooner. What do you guys think?"  
  
Hannah and Terry agreed that it was a good idea, so they paired off together, figuring out where we could go, and I got stuck working with Hermione on putting groups together. Hannah and Terry went up to bed, and I went upstairs to get changed. When I came back, I saw Hermione also in her pajamas, ready with some parchment and two quills.  
  
"Ready to get started?" she asked cheerfully. I could say this: our relationship had definitely improved over the past two and a half months. We were MUCH more tolerable of each other, and were even becoming friends. I found myself liking her more and more, but I still hadn't revealed myself to her. How could I? She was with Potter.  
  
"Sure," I sighed. "Let's do it." I fell back onto my couch, but she shook her head.  
  
"Come sit over here," she said, gesturing on the floor space across from her. Obligingly, I got up and sat across from her on the floor. "Okay, so I have all the class lists..." she paused, glancing around her and shuffling through papers. "Well I thought I had them," she corrected. "Accio!" The lists appeared in her hand out of nowhere, and she smiled. "Yes. Anyways, here are the lists, so we have to start putting people from each house together. But, we have to keep in mind not to put people together who will kill each other." I laughed as she raised her eyebrows pointedly at me. I wouldn't be put with Potter or Weasley, that's for sure.  
  
"Now," she continued, "I was thinking I would put us four together in a group, if that's ok?" I nodded, and she wrote down our first group. "Alright then! Now we only have about 100 groups left to go!" (A/N: Total estimate, how many students are at Hogwarts??) I groaned, and she laughed at me. I settled down for a long night, and we set about getting people together for the trip, thinking in the back of our minds of places we might be able to go.  
  
  
  
I awoke the next morning with an awful crick in my neck. I blinked to clear my vision and saw that I was still in the common room, and Hermione was still with me. We were both as we had been last night, leaning against the back of my couch, and her head had fallen onto my shoulder. Gently, I shook her awake, and watched as her eyes fluttered open. She slowly straightened up, stretching and wincing as she turned her head. "What time is it?" she asked groggily.  
  
Quickly glancing at the clock above the fireplace, hoping we weren't going to be late to class, I relaxed, seeing that it was only 7:00. I told her this, and she sighed in relief too. Apparently Terry and Hannah had decided to leave us alone and go to breakfast, because they weren't anywhere to be seen.  
  
"Man, I'm starving," I grumbled. "We missed breakfast."  
  
"Oh, we'll just get something from the kitchen," she replied. "Don't worry about it." I looked at her, surprised.  
  
"They'll give you stuff from the kitchen?" I asked in wonder. She laughed, and nodded, getting up.  
  
"Just try and stop them," she said over her shoulder, heading up the stairs to grab her robes.  
  
  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
I woke up with Draco in the same positions we'd been in before, sunlight filtering in my eyes. "What time is it?" I mumbled.  
  
Draco told me it was only 7:00, and I relaxed, knowing we wouldn't be late to class. "We missed breakfast. Man, I was starving, too..." I laughed at the fake pout he had plastered on his face. I stood up, straightening my wrinkled robes.  
  
"Don't worry," I called over my shoulder as I went upstairs. "We can get something from the kitchens."  
  
He had followed me up the stairs and was about to enter his room when I said this. He turned to me wonderingly. "They'll give you stuff from the kitchens?"  
  
"Just try and stop them!" I closed the door to my room as he did the same. I changed into fresh robes, and was about to head out the door when I took a double take in the mirror. I had never seen my hair as unruly as it was now. I was going to fix it, but decided 'Oh, just screw it'. I was hair challenged. No matter what I did with my hair, I could never get it to look nice. I quickly threw it up in a messy bun, and walked down the stairs to find Draco waiting for me.  
  
"Ready to go?" he asked impatiently. I nodded, and I followed him out of the portal. "So, uh... where are we going?" he asked as I led him down an unfamiliar corridor.  
  
I smiled back at him. "You'll see." I led him to a simple picture of a table with a feast spread out on it. "Strawberry milk," I said, and it swung open, revealing the kitchen. Draco followed me in, and I turned to see him staring at all the house elves bustling around.  
  
"Oh, Miss Hermione!" Lilly, one of the elves, recognized me and stopped for a moment. "Would you like something? Perhaps some donuts, or coffee?" Draco was still shocked.  
  
"Yes please, that would be wonderful, Lilly." I smiled at her as she hurried off again to fetch some food for us.  
  
"Wow," Draco seemed just amazed that the elves were so willing to give us food. I looked at him and giggled. "How'd you know this was here?" I raised an eyebrow at him and he grinned. "Oh, let me guess: the Weasley twins?" I smiled and nodded. "Should've known..."  
  
A few of the elves had managed to pull up some chairs and a small table for us, and we took a seat. Within a matter of minutes Lilly was back with a plate piled full of donuts and two cups of coffee, and a tray with cream and sugar.  
  
I scooped some sugar into my coffee and took a sip. "Mmmm..." I sighed. "That was just what I needed." Draco, meanwhile, was steadily inhaling all the chocolate covered donuts. "Hey, leave some for me!" He eyed me from across the table and snatched up the last chocolate one, shoving it into his mouth. I glared at him as he licked the last of the chocolate from his fingers, smirking. "I can't believe you did that!"  
  
"Oh come on. I'm sure you can just call up one of your little elves to fetch some more." I sneered at him, and deliberately picked up a powdered sugar donut, taking a bite. He broke out in a smile, and failed to stifle a laugh, which made me more mad.  
  
"What?" I cried, exasperated. Carefully, he reached over and brushed some powdered sugar off my nose. He laughed again, and I found myself laughing with him. Soon neither of us could control it, and we were doubled over in laughter. When I finally stopped, I happened to glimpse the clock on the wall, and gasped. "We have three minutes to get to potions class!" I yelled. Draco yelped and jumped out of his seat, almost knocking it over. He grabbed my hand and practically pulled me out of the kitchen.  
  
Pure terror of Snape's wrath drove us to fly up the flights of stairs to the potions dungeon. We were both laughing at ourselves, both for being so stupid and for being late to potions yet again. It seemed like one or the other (or both) of us were always running late. Terry and Hannah had the same problem, apparently, because they were always rushing around too. It was a wonder we were all prefects.  
  
By the time we reached Snape's classroom, we were out of breath, but still unable to stop laughing. Without thinking, we burst into the class and took our seats. It was about the fiftieth time that year alone that we were seated right before Snape came in to start the class. We were sitting there trying to gasp for breath quietly while getting our things out of our bags, which we had grown accustomed to carrying so we could avoid trips back to our room between every single class.  
  
We talked as we worked on adding things to our Aucunes Craintes potion, which was still in progress (it took five months to make it, Snape was making it like our final exam). I thought it was strange how he hadn't really told us anything about the potion, just had us making it, but I had forgotten that, and gotten caught up in just making the potion correctly. Mine and Draco's grades both depended on the success of that one potion.  
  
Before I knew it, the class was over, and I was walking to herbology class. Draco had left for the room to get something he had forgotten for his next class, Charms. It wasn't until I was walking out of the castle that I spotted Harry and Ron up ahead. I ran to catch up with them, yelling for them to wait up. "Hey, guys!" I waved. They glanced back and Harry's expression changed. He turned to tell Ron something, and he continued up to herbology. Harry stood there until I reached him, and I saw an emotion in his eyes that worried me. "Harry, what's wrong?" I asked, full of concern.  
  
"What's up with you and Malfoy?" he demanded. I guess he saw the puzzlement in my face, because he elaborated without my asking him to. "I saw you two come into potions class together, Hermione. You were laughing and holding hands."  
  
My eyes widened as I realized what it probably looked like. "Oh, Harry, that's not..."  
  
"But," Harry was going on. "You know what? That's fine." He closed his eyes and sighed. "Because I don't think we were really right for each other anyways."  
  
"What?" I cried. I could feel tears stinging the corners of my eyes, but tried to hold them back.  
  
"I- I like someone else, Hermione." This came down on me like a ton of bricks. I really liked Harry. He was my best friend, and I thought we could have been really great together. Who did he like better than me?  
  
"Who?" I managed to choke out.  
  
"It's Ginny." Frankly, I was shocked. Ginny had been one of my best friends ever since her first year here, my second year. I knew she had liked Harry in the beginning, but I thought she had gotten over it. She no longer blushed when he came in, or became clumsy when he was around... maybe she had just matured. "Hermione, please tell me you're okay?" I could tell Harry felt bad, the way he was trying to peer down at me. How could he do this to me?  
  
  
  
Harry's POV (ooh, someone different!)  
  
It broke my heart to see Hermione like that. I couldn't stand seeing her trying to blink back her tears.  
  
-We both know that I shouldn't be here This is wrong And baby it's killin' me, it's killin' you Both of us tryin' to be strong I've got somewhere else to be Promises to keep Someone else who loves me And trusts me fast asleep I've made up my mind There is no turning back She's been good to me And she deserves better than that  
  
It's the hardest thing I'll ever have to do To look you in the eye And tell you I don't love you It's the hardest thing I'll ever have to lie To show no emotion When you start to cry I can't let you see What you mean to me When my hands are tied And my heart's not free We're not meant to be It's the hardest thing I'll ever have to do To turn around and walk away Pretending I don't love you  
  
I know that we'll meet again Fate has a place and time So you can get on with your life I've got to be cruel to be kind Like Dr. Zhivago All my love I'll be sending And you will never know Cause there can be no happy ending  
  
It's the hardest thing I'll ever have to do To look you in the eye And tell you I don't love you It's the hardest thing I'll ever have to lie To show no emotion When you start to cry I can't let you see What you mean to me When my hands are tied And my heart's not free We're not meant to be It's the hardest thing I'll ever have to do To turn around and walk away Pretending I don't love you  
  
Maybe another time, another day As much as I want to, I can't stay I've made up my mind There is no turning back She's been good to me And she deserves better than that  
  
It's the hardest thing I'll ever have to do To look you in the eye And tell you I don't love you It's the hardest thing I'll ever have to lie To show no emotion When you start to cry I can't let you see What you mean to me When my hands are tied And my heart's not free We're not meant to be It's the hardest thing I'll ever have to do To turn around and walk away Pretending I don't love you-  
  
It really did break my heart to leave Hermione like that, crying in the middle of the yard, but I had the feeling she wanted to be alone. Besides, I was going to be late to herbology.  
  
  
  
A/N: Another song from 98 Degrees, this one called The Hardest Thing. Thanks to people who reviewed: 


	11. Consoling

Disclaimer: I don't own what JKR owns.  
  
Chapter 11- Consoling  
  
Draco's POV (sorry I keep switching)  
  
I was just about to step out of the portal, when suddenly I practically got the wind knocked out of me from someone running into my chest. I glanced down to see Hermione, with her head down and pieces of her hair falling over her face. "Are you okay?" I asked, but she didn't stop, just continued running up the stairs, and I heard a door slam.  
  
Concerned, I followed her up and stood at her door, listening. She was crying. "Mione?" I whispered, knocking very softly on her door. "Are you alright?" I heard her muffled answer from the other side of the door.  
  
"Fine! Don't worry, just go away!" Cautiously, I opened the door. She was sitting on her bed with her back against the backboard, hugging her knees. There were tears running down her cheeks. "I said go away!" she cried.  
  
Completely ignoring her, I walked over to her bed and sat down by her. "What happened?" I asked softly. She raised her eyes to meet mine, and I was stricken at how sad they looked. Only one thing could make her look like that... "Potter," I snarled. "God help him if he's hurt you..."  
  
"No, he didn't really hurt me," she assured me. "On purpose, at least. It's just... We broke up." At this, fresh tears overflowed from her eyes, and she hugged her knees again, resting her head on them.  
  
"Oh, Mione," I sighed, moving closer to her. "I'm sorry." I put my arm around her shoulders. I really did feel sorry, but part of me couldn't help but be glad that she wasn't with Potter anymore. "I know how you feel," I said softly.  
  
She looked up at me through tear-blurred eyes. "Do you really? My best friend became my boyfriend, then broke up with me for someone else." I inwardly winced at this. Being dumped was bad enough, but being dumped for somebody else was even worse. "I'm afraid it's gonna ruin our friendship," she told me sadly.  
  
"Hermione, look at me," I commanded. "I'm not Potter, and I don't know what he'll do, but if he's in his right mind, he won't risk friendship with you for anything."  
  
She sniffled. "Have you ever been miserable, Draco?" My eyes grew cold and distant.  
  
"Yes." I looked at her and she was waiting expectantly for me to continue, so I took a deep breath. There weren't many people I had told this to, but for some reason I thought I could tell it to her. I took out my wand and put a silencing charm on the room, ignoring Hermione's strange look.  
  
"I had an older brother, did you know that?" She shook her head. I closed my eyes and leaned back against her headboard, with my arm still around her shoulders. It was very comfortable there, and I had no intention of moving it.  
  
"I did. His name was Slade. Slade Malfoy. He would be 23 by now.  
  
Well anyway, he was supposed to be Voldemort's heir." Hermione gasped, and I wondered again if I should be telling her this. "My father is a deatheater, as you probably know." She nodded, and I went on. "He was very, shall we say, involved with Voldemort. Sort of like his right- hand guy. Even after he vanished, my father remained faithful to him, and even rallied up his remaining loyal deatheaters, and continued to hold meetings for them. He made them keep training so that when Voldemort returned they would be as strong as ever.  
  
He used to make Slade go to the meetings, even though he hated it. My father put him under the Imperius curse, and if Slade tried to fight it, even the Cruciatus curse. Well when Slade turned eighteen, that was when he was supposed to be initiated as the Heir of Voldemort. He refused, though, and couldn't be initiated while under the curse, so it couldn't be done. My father tried to force him into doing it, but he flat-out refused." I gulped hard. "He killed him. My father killed Slade.  
  
After that, ever since about my second year here at Hogwarts, my father's been doing the same things to me. Putting me under the Imperius curse, and dragging me to the meetings. Naturally, after all this time, I've gotten pretty good at ignoring it. So he turns to the Cruciatus curse. Between those two, he's forced me to do some pretty awful things, things I swear I NEVER would have done otherwise. I killed, Hermione." She gasped, but allowed me to continue with the story. If she had recoiled at that moment, I don't know what I would have done, but she didn't.  
  
You have no idea how awful it is, laying there for days, unable to move after the Cruciatus curse. He left me like that once, a couple years ago. My mother found me, and tried to take me away, but he caught us. He beat her up pretty bad. Ever since then he's started putting her under the curses too, and she's too weak to fight Imperius. She doesn't know what's what anymore, and hardly recognizes me."  
  
"But shouldn't your father go to Azkaban for that?" Hermione was shocked.  
  
"Yeah," I said coldly. "He should. But there are no witnesses, no one other than me and my mother. She has no idea what's what anymore, and even if she did, she'd be too afraid to bring it up in front of the Ministry. My father is too highly looked up to there. And who's gonna listen to me, some sixteen year old kid?"  
  
Strangely, Hermione looked at me in surprise. "You're sixteen?"  
  
"Yeah. My dad convinced the Ministry to let me be held back before I started first year, and they convinced Dumbledore. I guess he thinks I'll be more powerful because I'm older, or something."  
  
"Oh," she said softly, sniffling. I looked at her and she still had tears staining her cheeks.  
  
"But I guess that doesn't make you feel any better, huh?"  
  
She shook her head slowly. "What do I do when the only person who can make me stop crying is the person who made me cry?" she sobbed. I gathered her in my arms again, and she rested her head on my shoulder, sobbing involuntarily. I rested my chin on the top of her head.  
  
"What you really need," I whispered, so softly I doubted she could hear me. In fact, I hoped she couldn't. "Is someone else to comfort you."  
  
I sat there thinking about what I'd just told her, holding her until her breathing grew more and more steady. I glanced down and pushed hair out of her face to confirm my suspicions. She was asleep.  
  
Carefully, not wanting to wake her up, I laid her back against a pillow. I sat there for a moment longer, and I was getting up when she started to wake up again, so I just shifted positions and continued to watch her sleep.  
  
  
  
Still Draco's POV  
  
I awoke to the sound of rain splattering against the roof of the castle and the windows. Looking to my side, I saw that Hermione wasn't there. I almost panicked for some reason, but then saw that she was sitting on her window seat, looking out at the grounds, and watching the rain pour down. "Feel better?" I asked. Startled, she looked over at me, and smiled.  
  
"Yes, much. I think you're right. It will be okay, and I'll get over Harry, and he'll be happy. I'll be happy too."  
  
"Good," I yawned, getting up and stretching. "I'm glad." I paused. "Do you realize we've just missed an entire day of classes?" According to the clock and my stomach, it was dinner time.  
  
"Yep," was her simple, relaxed reply. I was surprised, to say the least. Normally Hermione would have freaked if we had missed class.  
  
"Oh. Okay. Well, we're missing dinner. I'm going down to the kitchens, I'm starving. You gonna come?"  
  
She raised her eyebrow at me. "YOU'RE going down to the kitchens? What makes you think they'll give YOU food?" I rolled my eyes, and she laughed. I knew she was laughing at me, but at least it meant she was feeling better.  
  
"Okay, let me put it this way: You're coming down to the kitchens with me so I can get something to eat. Got it?"  
  
"Sure, just give me a sec," she said as she closed a book she had been holding. I hadn't noticed it before. She got up and began digging through a drawer as I leaned in the doorway. She finally gave up and snapped her fingers. "Accio!" Apparently she'd perfected that handy little charm. An elastic hair-tie appeared in her hand, and she tipped her head upside down, gathering her thick hair into a pony tail, and pulled it halfway through, making a messy bun. She stood back up and saw me giving her a strange look, and glared at me while smiling. "Okay, let's go."  
  
We walked down the same corridor as that morning, and came to the picture of the feast again. When Hermione said the password, it swung open, and the elves hurried to get us something. We took our seats at the small table, and were presented with plates of chicken legs, potatoes, and carrots and beans.  
  
I stuffed my face until I couldn't eat another bite if I tried. "Now, Draco, eat your vegetables," Hermione chided in a fake motherly voice. I groaned, slumping against the back of my chair.  
  
"I'm stuffed," I exclaimed.  
  
"Me too," she giggled, pushing back her chair and standing up. We thanked the elves for the food, and they even gave us some cake to take back to our room.  
  
When we got back to the common room, we decided to work on the groups some more, since we didn't have very many yet. Hermione insisted on saving her little friends (Potter and Weasley) till last, in hopes that they could get in the same group.  
  
Hannah and Terry came back, wondering where we had been all day, but I just sort of shrugged them off without really telling them anything. They went up to Terry's room to come up with more places to go for the trip.  
  
Finally, at about 11:30, we decided to call it a night. We'd gotten a good amount done, and Hermione looked like she was about to fall asleep. The lights from upstairs had gone off about an hour ago.  
  
I followed her slowly up the stairs, and we parted at our rooms, only to meet again a minute later to go downstairs to wash up, then trudge back up the stairs. "Goodnight," Hermione called.  
  
"'Night, Mione."  
  
  
  
A/N: I'm sorry, but Draco and Hermione are going to be OOC for probably the rest of this story. I just can't make it a romance without them being OOC. Hey, what is a beta reader? Could someone review and explain it to me, maybe? I've heard lots of people talk about 'em, but what are they? Thanks. And as usual, thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter. I'm glad you guys like it, and I'll keep writing as long as you keep giving good reviews. 


	12. How 'Bout No

Disclaimer: I do not own what is not mine. Quite simple when you think of it. (JKR owns it.)  
  
A/N: Aaaarrrgghhh! I'm sorry... action will be coming very soon, I promise, but the story has to get farther first, and I feel bad for skipping so much time, and... just bear with me, ok?  
  
Chapter 12- How 'Bout No  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
Draco and I finally finished the groups around the end of November, after many late night hours. We had put us four in a group, on second- thought orders from Dumbledore. I was pissed. I had planned on being in a group with Ron and Harry. At least they got in a group together.  
  
Things had definitely changed between Harry and I. How could they not? But it wasn't that bad. Neither of us had any bad feelings... except Ginny.  
  
Ginny had approached me several times, all anxious and babbling about not wanting me to hate her. No matter how many times I assured her that I was perfectly fine with her and Harry, she didn't seem to believe me. She was still worried that I had some bottled up emotions or something, and I would someday just blow up at her. I wish she would just accept the fact that I was over Harry and get on with life.  
  
It was Thursday, and I was getting dressed while thinking about all this. I buttoned up my shirt and slipped into my robe. I didn't even bother searching for a hair tie, I just called it into my hand, and then put my hair in a messy bun, which had been my normal hairstyle lately. As usual, I almost ran into Draco while coming out of my room. (We'd both learned to go slowly, since we always seemed to get the timing right on.)  
  
'Great,' I thought while washing my face. 'I get to go the Hall and eat with Ginny watching me anxiously the whole time.' I was not looking forward to that. I exited the bathroom to see that Hannah and Terry had already left. I guess they had realized that waiting for me and Draco could take all day, and not to bother.  
  
I lay down on my couch and put my head on my hands on the arm of my couch. Draco was scowling when he exited the bathroom, and grinned wryly when he saw me. "Can we just go get something from the kitchens?" he begged me.  
  
This was turning into a habit of ours. "You read my mind. That's just what I was thinking. I don't think I can stand one more meal with Ginny hovering over me, asking if I'm POSITIVE I'm alright with her and Harry." I shuddered, and Draco laughed.  
  
I followed him out of the picture and down the now too-familiar hallway to the kitchen. We got some coffee and donuts (extra chocolate) from Lilly, and quickly gobbled them up, not wanting to be late to class yet again. (It was potions class first thing again.)  
  
I drained the last of my cappuccino and saw Draco waiting for me to finish. "Ready?" I nodded and got up with him, heading back to the room to grab books and things for the first classes of the day.  
  
We were early for potions, for what was probably the first day so far that year. When Snape came in and saw us already in our seats and not breathing heavily, I could have sworn I saw a look of surprise cross his face. But it was gone almost as soon as it appeared, so I couldn't be sure.  
  
We started a new potion, since the next ingredients after that day for the Aucunes Craintes ones wouldn't need to be added for a few weeks. Draco handed me vial after vial of multi-colored powders, mixtures, roots, and who knows what else. I wasn't really paying attention to what I was doing, and Draco seemed to take advantage of the opportunity to catch me off-guard.  
  
I was about to dump a vial of something into our cauldron when he suddenly grabbed my wrist and grinned at me.  
  
"What?" I demanded, somewhat annoyed. He just grinned, and gestured with his other hand to what I was holding in my hand. Looking closer at it, I saw that it was powdered wormwood roots. I glared at him. "Draco! Do you realize I almost added this in here, with werewolf blood? You could have caused me to kill us!"  
  
"Oh, relax, Mione," he said, releasing my arm and leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head. "I knew what I was giving you, and I stopped you. I just wanted to keep you on your toes. You were paying no attention to what you were doing."  
  
He had me there. I wasn't, and if he had accidentally given me something, I would have blown up the whole room. I winced. "Sorry. I'll pay attention." He grinned, and handed me the correct vial this time.  
  
The rest of potions passed uneventfully. I caught up with Harry and Ron and headed with them and the rest of the Gryffindors to herbology, watching as Draco parted with the rest of the Slytherins to go to Transfiguration, in the opposite direction. I felt a twinge of... something. I was disappointed that I wouldn't see Draco for the next two hours.  
  
'What the hell?!' I thought. 'Where did THESE feelings come from? I shouldn't care about ferret boy like this!'  
  
But my heart was telling me that he wasn't ferret boy anymore. He wasn't even Malfoy anymore. He was Draco, and Draco seemed to be a person I was fal-  
  
'No, God dammit! This is not happening!' I wasn't sure whether this was coming from my brain or my heart. I decided to forget about it, and ponder it sometime later, on a rainy day.  
  
I tuned back into the conversation. Harry and Ron were discussing the upcoming Quidditch match, in three weeks, against the Slytherin house. I was walking along beside Harry, making small talk, and without warning, he threw his arm around my shoulders. Normally, this would have been fine, but under the circumstances of the last few weeks, it made me feel uncomfortable. I politely shrugged him off, and he shot me a confused look. We continued talking to Ron for a while, and then Lavender called from up ahead. Turning to us, Ron gave us a quick look of apology, then ran up ahead to her, grinning. I smiled. "They're so happy together."  
  
Unexpectedly, Harry turned to me. "I want us to be like that again."  
  
I was shocked, to say the least. "What?!" I stopped dead in my tracks. What the hell was he saying? He had just broken up with me! He said he wanted Ginny!  
  
He sighed and tried to explain. "I never thought Ginny would feel so bad about it! I thought she was ready for a relationship. I guess I was wrong. All she's been doing since we broke up has been feeling guilty for 'stealing me from you'. She isn't ready. I want you back, Mione." He grinned at me.  
  
Oh my God! Did he seriously think I would take him back, just like that, after what he had done? "Harry! In case you've forgotten, you broke up with me a few weeks ago! I'm just getting over you, okay? You can't just decide you want me again, and expect to pick it up where we left off! It just doesn't work that way!"  
  
He was looking genuinely puzzled. "Oh, come on Hermione," he tried again. "I didn't think she would react like that."  
  
"Oh, I see!" I said sarcastically. "You dumped me for Ginny, and found out she didn't want you, so now you'll settle for me again?"  
  
"No, come on, you know it's not like that!"  
  
"Oh really? Do I now? And how would you know? It's not like you've really spent all that much time considering my feelings lately!" Okay this was just wrong. I couldn't believe this. Harry wasn't really like this, was he? I shook my head slowly. "I don't think you really know what you're saying right now, Harry, so I'm just gonna let it slide, okay?" And with that I turned and ran back to the castle, totally freaked out. I had no idea what was going on anymore.  
  
I didn't slow until I was in my common room. I flopped down onto my couch, staring at the ceiling. I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I didn't notice Draco sitting on his couch, staring in horror at the piece of parchment clutched in his hand.  
  
A/N: Yay, another chapter. I have up to ch. 15 typed and I'm working on 16 right now, so you can expect updates every day for at least three or four more days. I'm sorry for everyone who doesn't like what I've been doing, such as the pairings and everything. Thanks for the definition of a beta reader, Snickerz. And Hermione18, OOC means out of character. Look for another chapter tomorrow, hope this one's ok.  
  
P.S. For Harry lovers out there, I'm sorry, and I know this may look bad, and next chapter will look even worse, but it will ALL be explained. He's not a complete jerk. 


	13. Daddy Dearest

Disclaimer: We've been through this, people. I don't own Harry Potter and all related things. JK Rowling does.  
  
Chapter 13- Daddy Dearest  
  
Draco's POV  
  
I was just returning to my common room for my Charms book when the owl came. It was a rather small, stone gray owl, with spots of black on it's head. When I saw it, I froze, and my eyes widened.  
  
With shaking hands, I retrieved the letter it had for me, and quickly sent it away. The envelope was simple, with DRACO spelled out on the front in tidy handwriting. I put it on the table and sat there staring at it, afraid to open it.  
  
I finally got up the guts, decided I had to open it sooner or later. I slid my finger under the flap, breaking the seal, and unfolded the parchment:  
  
Draco,  
  
I was disappointed not to hear from you after my last letter. It's a pity you didn't reply, really. Your mother was in the hospital for a week because of it. I assume you will be accompanying me to the meeting on December 12th? I sincerely hope so. For your mother's sake. If something happens to her, remember, it will be your fault. See you then. - Lucius Malfoy  
  
  
  
God help him. I would kill him. He put my mother in the hospital. He was so dead. More pressing matters at that moment, how was I going get out of that meeting?  
  
Oh shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit... I was in such deep trouble. My father was expecting me to go to the deatheater meeting on December 15th, and it didn't sound like I had much of a chance to get out of it. If he hurt my mother again because of me, I would never forgive him. Or myself.  
  
I must have been so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't notice when Hermione slipped quietly into the room and lay down on her couch. "Hey," I said, puzzled as to what she was doing here.  
  
Apparently she hadn't noticed me either, because when I spoke she jumped, startled. "Oh, Draco, it's you," she cried. "I didn't see you." She lied back down and closed her eyes.  
  
"What's wrong now?" I asked absently, and she sighed. She told me the whole story of how Harry had told her he wanted to get back together, and seemed to expect her to take him back.  
  
Now was my turn to sigh. "I wish my problems were that simple."  
  
She glared at me. "You think this is simple?" she snapped.  
  
"Oh, Hermione, you have no idea," I said sadly. Then I climbed the stairs to my room, and gently shut the door. Without realizing I had left the letter downstairs on my couch.  
  
  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
How dare he think this is no big deal! My problems were a big deal, to me at least. I glared at his back as he walked sullenly up the stairs and heard his bedroom door click softly. What was his problem anyway? What was that stupid letter he had been reading?  
  
I noticed he had left it on his couch, so I went over and picked it up. My eyes widened as I read it, and I realized the mistake I had just made. His problems were more complicated than mine. They were MUCH worse.  
  
I walked slowly up the stairs to his bedroom, and knocked gently on the door. "Draco?" I whispered. No answer. I pushed the door open, and saw him, sitting on the edge of his bed, with his head in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees. Cautiously, I went over and sat down next to him. He made no recognition of me being there.  
  
Tentatively, I slid him the letter. He grabbed it, crumpled it into a ball with one fist, and tossed it behind him, where it landed on the floor on the other side of the bed. He groaned and flopped onto his back, his eyes closed, rubbing his temples. "What am I gonna do, Mione?" he asked weakly. "I HAVE to go to that meeting. He'll kill my mother if I don't."  
  
"Do you really think he would?" I breathed softly.  
  
"I sure wouldn't put it past him," he said harshly. "He killed Slade, remember?" I winced.  
  
"Well maybe we could just go to Dumbledore, and-"  
  
"NO!" he sat bolt upright at that. "You can not tell ANYone about this. Including Dumbledore. Alright?" I nodded slowly, and realized how delicate the situation was. Do anything other than what Lucius Malfoy wanted, and someone would end up dead. I just hoped it wouldn't be Draco.  
  
  
  
Draco's POV again  
  
Half an hour later, Hermione and I were on our way to the DADA classroom. We had missed our second class, but that was okay. I wasn't in any mood or condition to go back to class, and Hermione wasn't exactly eager to face Harry again, either.  
  
About halfway there, we ran into Professor Dumbledore. "Hello," he smiled warmly at us, then his expression changed to a more serious one. "You two both missed your second class."  
  
Hermione's eyes widened and she began to sputter an apology, but Dumbledore stopped her with a hand. "It's alright, Miss Granger. I presume you have your reasons." He was looking at me now, and I was studying the pattern on the floor. "I would just like to remind you that I am always here if you need to talk about something. Anything. Remember that." I risked a glance up into his eyes, and returned quickly to the floor. Yup, his gaze was still fixed on me. "Now, I suggest you hurry to Defense Against the Dark Arts so we don't have a repeat of last class." And with that, he continued down the hall on his way, and we on ours.  
  
When we walked into the room, I noticed we were the last ones there. This was right before a very pissed-looking Ginny came up and shoved me into a wall.  
  
A/N: I was gonna combine this chap with the next one, but it would be really long so I decided to make you wait. *evil grin* You can expect it to be up by tomorrow, and I have ch. 16 written now, and I'm working on getting it typed out. (Should get done by today.) Enjoy, and please review. Hehe. I LOOOOOVE reviews.  
  
P.S. To anyone who may be an avid Ginny lover, don't worry, like the thing with Harry, it will all be explained in ch.16, so please don't stop reading. 


	14. Confused Emotions

Disclaimer: Don't own it. JKR does.  
  
A/N: WARNING: This chapter may contain a lot of cussing, and will have fighting. It's gonna get a little crazy. I was totally lost and couldn't think of anything to write, so my friend (daydreamer again, give her a round of applause!) helped me out with this chapter again. We may have gotten a little carried away, but I like it. Lolz. Enjoy!  
  
Chapter 14- Confused Emotions  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
"You bitch!" Ginny shrieked. "You said you didn't care that I was with Harry and now you two are back together? I thought you were a better person than that, Hermione!"  
  
"What are you talking about, Ginny? Harry and I are NOT together, and I DON'T care that you two are. We've been over this a thousand times, but I'll say it slow once more to be sure you understand: I DON'T CARE THAT YOU ARE WITH HARRY SO STOP BUGGING ME ABOUT IT!"  
  
"Well I'm not with Harry anymore, but I guess you already knew about that, huh?" Ginny said sarcastically.  
  
"What are you talking about?" I was awfully confused.  
  
Just then Harry came up behind me. "Uh, Mione, after you ran off, I figured it was just because you didn't believe I really wanted you back, so I dumped Gin to prove I do."  
  
"Harry! Why can't you get it through your thick skull? I do **NOT** want to be with you!" I was so frustrated I felt like I would burst.  
  
Draco was still standing by my side. "Hermione," he whispered, obviously aware that I was about to explode. "Calm down."  
  
"Calm down? I don't want to calm down! I wanna-"  
  
"What is going on in here?" Professor Hayes had chosen that moment to walk into the class, interrupting my train of thought. I tuned her out for a while. "I do not know who started this," she finished off her lecture. "So I will not take points. This time. Now please, everyone, have a seat."  
  
I plopped down in my chair, still fuming. Harry, still not willing to drop the subject, leaned over to whisper to me. "Mione, I-"  
  
"Save it Harry," I hissed. "I don't even wanna hear it."  
  
"Aww, come on, Mione," he said, snaking his arm around my shoulders. "I know you don't mean that."  
  
"Dammit, Harry! Sometimes you're thicker than Neville!" I said a silent apology to Neville.  
  
"But Hermione-" Harry argued.  
  
"LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!" I couldn't take it anymore. I had to get out of there. I stood up, knocking over my chair, and ran out of the room.  
  
I could hear the commotion behind me as I jogged down the corridor. "Hermione!" Draco called. "Wait!"  
  
"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing, Ferret?" That was Ron. "Leave her alone, it's none of your business!" I heard him pad down the hall after Draco and I.  
  
"Ron!" Harry's voice reached my ears, and I groaned. "If you kill him you're going to Azkaban!" Harry was trying to stop Ron from going after Draco, to prevent him from killing him.  
  
"Harry, wait!" Oh, great, Ginny's in the parade now, too! "If you're not with Hermione..."  
  
(A/N: This may be kinda dumb, but it's too hilarious to stop!!! HahahaHAHAhahaha!!!! I'm lovin this!)  
  
I ran out onto the grounds, to find that it was raining. 'Great. This is perfect.' We probably looked like a bunch of little ducklings. Everyone was shouting, and it was the perfect picture of chaos. Little did we know that all the Slytherins and Gryffindors back in the DADA classroom were acting exactly the same.  
  
"Hermione, wait up!" Draco gasped behind me.  
  
"No!" I yelled, trying to pick up my pace.  
  
"Leave her the hell alone, Malfoy!"  
  
"F*ck off, Weasley!"  
  
"Ron," Harry had caught us. "Sirius told us about Azkaban, remember? It did not sound fun!" This was a pitiful attempt at persuading Ron not to kill Malfoy. He was still glaring at him, and if looks could kill, I'm sure Draco would be buried and cold.  
  
"So I won't get caught!"  
  
"Harry!" Ginny called, waving her arms frantically. She was in hysterics. "Please give me another chance!"  
  
Harry was screaming at Ginny to be heard above everyone else and the pounding rain. "No! I want Mione! We were perfect for each other, and I threw it all away!"  
  
I reached the Quidditch field, and Draco, who was trying to run after me, was tackled by Ron. Harry, who was trying to pull Ron off, was trying to shake Ginny off his leg.  
  
I shoved Harry away, and began trying to pull Ron off of Draco. Ginny bit me, and Harry got up and began pulling at Ron again. We were pitiful. I finally freed Draco, and caught a punch from Ginny, meant for Harry, right in the stomach. I doubled over in pain, gasping for air. Draco helped me up and threw a punch at Harry, who was pulling at my arm. Harry dodged it, though. Suddenly, a loud voice boomed out across the pitch: "WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK YER DOIN?!" Hagrid was bounding toward us. I jumped up, caught Ginny in a punch straight in the jaw, and ran off toward the lake. Draco gave Ron a good punch right in the eye, and raced after me.  
  
Harry, Ron, and Ginny tried to follow us, but were grabbed by their collars by Hagrid. "Ooooohhh no you don't!" He drug them all back to the castle.  
  
I stopped when I reached the edge of the lake. I was soaking and freezing cold, but I didn't care. I didn't even notice that I was crying, since my hair was dripping water in my face as well. I collapsed on the ground, and sat there, hugging my knees, rocking back and forth. What was I going to do?  
  
Draco dropped down next to me when he caught up. "Are you okay?" he gasped. I looked up into his eyes, sniffling, and shook my head. He put his arms around me, and I allowed myself to lean against him, looking up at the sky. It was about half past noon. "I'm sorry," he said. "That was awful."  
  
I nodded. "What am I going to do, Draco? I think I just blew it with everybody I care most about."  
  
"Everybody? You didn't blow it with me," he reminded me.  
  
I turned to look at him. His blue-gray eyes were concerned, questioning, and somewhat troubled. "No," I whispered. "I guess it wasn't everyone I care about then." I gave him a small smile, and he returned it. Slowly, he reached a hand up and gently pushed some wet hair off my face, letting his fingers linger on my cheek.  
  
Slowly, cautiously, he bent down until his face was mere inches from mine. His lips softly brushed mine, and a shiver ran down my spine. He broke away for a second just to come right back again. His hands slid their way down my sides and mine went to the back of his neck. We sat there like that for what seemed like eternity, the rain pouring down all around us.  
  
'Oh my God,' I thought suddenly. I pulled away, my eyes popped wide open, and stared at Draco for a moment. I had just kissed Draco Malfoy. I couldn't believe I had just done that.  
  
I jumped up to my feet. "I- I- I'm sorry," I gasped, and started running as fast as I could against the rain back to the castle. I heard Draco calling after me, but all I could think about was getting back to my room and locking myself up, and forgetting about everything that had happened over the last half hour.  
  
I was completely out of breath when I reached the portal to the common room. I ran through the room and up the stairs, ignoring Hannah and Terry who were sitting on Terry's couch working.  
  
When I reached my room, I slammed the door, hearing Draco pounding up the stairs after me and Hannah and Terry yelling to see if I was alright. I put a magical lock on the door, unable to be opened by a charm.  
  
I went to sit at my window seat, thinking hard. I had fought with my best friends in the world, which I now regretted more than I would have thought possible, and I had kissed what used to be my worst enemy. He obviously wasn't anymore. What was worse, I think I had liked it.  
  
A/N: That was a crazy chapter. I'm sorry. There will DEFINITELY be explanations in later chapters, don't worry. I have a plan. 


	15. Room Swaps and More Letters

Disclaimer: Man I'm sick of these. I don't own Harry Potter stuff, JKR does.  
  
Chapter 15- Room Swaps and More Letters  
  
Draco's POV  
  
"Hermione, you've gotta come out to eat, you know." Apparently, she had locked herself in her room and refused to come out. Ever. I had been pounding and yelling at her door for at least a couple hours, but she wasn't answering me. I was sitting against the wall opposite her door, hoping to catch her when she came out. It had occurred to me that she could use the Gryffindor common room portal, but considering the circumstance, I didn't think she would.  
  
It was as if reminding her of eating had reminded me too, because my stomach growled loudly. Getting a sudden idea, I muttered a charm. My voice would yell something occasionally, and Hermione wouldn't come out. I could sneak away to the kitchens to grab something to eat really quick, without missing her coming out.  
  
I crept silently down the stairs and slipped out, making my way as quickly as possible to the kitchen.  
  
A few of the elves rushed off to get me some food to go, and I stood there waiting impatiently. Lilly came by carrying a tray of food, and I greeted her.  
  
"Hello, Mr. Draco! Miss Hermione was just here, and I wondered where you were!"  
  
My eyes grew wide as an elf handed me my food. "Her-Hermione was here?"  
  
"Yes, sir," Lilly told me. "She was just leaving."  
  
Without another word, I took off down the hallway back to the prefects' room. If Hermione didn't know I knew she was there, maybe she wouldn't be as quick and I could catch her.  
  
I burst into the room and ran up the stairs two at a time. I shouted in triumph when I saw that her door was open, and she wasn't inside. I closed the door and used my wand to lock it. It would only open for me now.  
  
I was on my way down the stairs to wait for her when I heard a voice yelling, and I jumped. "Hermione, come out of there!" my voice called. I laughed, and ended my spell. Obviously she hadn't been fooled by it.  
  
I was waiting on my couch, boring a hole through the wall with my impatient stare, when the portal swung open. A distraught-looking Hermione walked in, and she panicked when she saw me. She made to run up the stairs. I hopped off the couch to stop her but she dodged her way past me. I followed her up the stairs and stopped with her, watching her tug on the door. When she couldn't get it open, she turned and stared at me, not quite pulling off a glare.  
  
"Mione," I pleaded. "Can you please talk to me now?"  
  
"No." She was about to run down the stairs again. I pinned her against the wall, with my arms on either side of her and my body blocking her way. "Draco," she whispered, staring into my yes. We stared at each other for a long time, but then something flashed in her eyes, and she abruptly turned her head, tearing her gaze away from mine.  
  
"Mione," I breathed, trying to look in her eyes again.  
  
"No," she said firmly, closing her eyes and shaking her head. She was struggling to get away, but I kept her pinned.  
  
"Hermione. I'm sorry," I said seriously. "I'm sorry for whatever I did to make you hate me."  
  
She looked at me again, for a split-second, just long enough for me to see the mixture of emotions behind her honey-colored eyes. Confusion, mainly, mixed with hurt, betrayal, sadness, and mistrust. Quietly, so I could barely hear her, she whispered, "I don't hate you."  
  
I relaxed my grip on her just long enough for her to slip away. Straight into my room. 'Oh no,' I thought, groaning. 'Not again.'  
  
"Hermione!!" I pounded on the door hard with my fist. "Hermione, this is enough! Let me into my room!" No answer. I sighed. I should have expected that.  
  
Grinning evilly, I came up with an idea. "Well, fine, then. I'll just have to lock myself in YOUR room!"  
  
At that I heard a 'thump' from inside my room, and started shaking with silent laughter. A moment later, the door was thrown open, and I had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit by it. Hermione ran over to her side of the hall and tried again to open her door. This was when I burst out laughing, and she glared at me. I tried to get to my room, but she was too quick, and pushed me out of the way, slamming the door in my face again.  
  
"No!" I groaned. Sighing, I went over and leaned with my back against the door, my feet spread out in front of me. This was going to be a long night.  
  
  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
I had been sitting in Draco's room doing absolutely nothing for over an hour, and it was now 10:00 pm. I had begun exploring his room about 30 minutes ago, looking for a book I could use to do some homework.  
  
Finally, I found a bunch of school stuff in a drawer of his desk. I took out a quill and some ink, borrowed some parchment from him, and flipped open his Transfiguration book. I did the required reading and assignment, and was getting another book when the Transfiguration one fell off the desk. I bent down to pick it up, and when I grabbed it, several envelopes fell out of the pages.  
  
Curious, I gathered them up and flipped through them. All of them were addressed to Draco. I decided to be nosy and open them up. The first one was dated September 17th.  
  
Draco,  
  
I heard that you are now a prefect. Can you believe that old crack, Dumbledore, he has two Mudbloods as prefects! I can't imagine. You just make sure you don't go associating with them, won't you? You stick with Crabbe and Goyle and everything will work out perfectly. -Lucius  
  
How dare he! First, he insulted Professor Dumbledore, then he insulted Hannah and I! This man was really unbelievable. I pulled the next letter out of the envelope, unfolded it, and began reading. It was dated October 30th.  
  
Draco,  
  
I heard about that little 'Costume Ball' being held at Hogwarts tomorrow in celebration of the annual Halloween Event. What a pity you won't be able to make it. The event being hosted at the Manor will require you to arrive no later than 10:00. See you there. -Lucius  
  
'Hmmmmmm...' Maybe that was why Draco had rushed out on the Halloween Ball? 'Maybe his dad threw a party or something at his house.' I laughed out loud at the picture of Lucius and all the other dark wizards, maybe even Voldemort, standing around Malfoy Manor listening to music and dancing around in Halloween costumes. Driven by my now flaming curiosity, I opened the next letter. It was from only the day after that, November 1st.  
  
Draco,  
  
I am very disappointed in you. How dare you not kill that Muggle like I told you to? You embarrassed yourself, not to mention me, in front of every single dark wizard on this half of the world! People were talking, and I had to put out quite a few rumors about Voldemort's heir not even being able to kill a pathetic Muggle girl! I expect to see you at our next meeting, and I expect better from you. -Lucius  
  
  
  
Oh my God. Lucius had tried to get Draco to murder a poor little girl! I thanked Draco silently for not giving into his father and doing it. I knew how much pressure he had to have been under, from his father and his friends, and from curses, too. My eyes were now wide with shock and surprise, and I dug into letter after letter. The next one was dated November 25th, and I opened it to find the letter I had read earlier, about the Deatheater meeting on December 15th and how Lucius had hurt Mrs. Malfoy.  
  
I was shocked. I hadn't thought that Draco had been getting this much crap from his father! As if that last letter wasn't enough, there were a ton more before it, and probably more to come, too. I felt embarrassed for fighting with him when so much other important stuff was going on. I would figure out the whole kissing thing and liking Draco later, but now I had to talk to him. I grabbed all the letters and envelopes and went to the door.  
  
I didn't expect Draco to be sleeping against the door. When I opened it, he fell on his back and his head landed on the floor with a loud 'thump'. He groaned and sat up, rubbing his eyes and the bump on his head.  
  
"Oh my gosh! I'm sorry!" I cried, leaning down next to him. He looked at me, obviously surprised that I had decided to finally come out. Then he saw what was in my hands, and scowled.  
  
"Where'd you get those?" he whispered. I explained that I had wanted to get some homework done, and he rolled his eyes, and snatched them back.  
  
"What are you gonna do about those?" I asked. He sighed, and pulled me with him back into his room, shutting the door and putting a silencing charm on the room.  
  
He collapsed back onto his black-clad bed and started rubbing his temples. "I don't know, Mione. I just don't know. There's nothing I can do, really. I will not be the reason he kills my mother." He sat up, and looked me straight in the eye, then turned away again. "Look, I don't know. I'm tired, and I just want to go to bed, okay?" I nodded, and went to the door. "See you in the morning."  
  
"Yeah," I replied. "Saturday. Don't wake me up."  
  
"Yeah, alright," he replied grinning. I guess we were over our awkward moment, at least to each others' faces. I knew I would still be thinking about that kiss. "Goodnight."  
  
"'Night."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: Oooooh. What'll happen next? Keep reading to find out what's up with everybody. Thanks for reviewing, and please keep it up, it's what makes me keep writing. 


	16. Explanations

Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim this whole freaking story. JKR owns all the stuff I used, except for the plot. (Which is going to have some great twists, if I do say so myself!)  
  
A/N: Hopefully I can explain Chapter 14 in this chapter. Hehehe.  
  
Chapter 16- Explanations  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
The weekend passed, and Draco and I decided what we were going to do about his father's letters: absolutely nothing. We decided that he wasn't going to the meeting in December, and Lucius would just have to deal with it. Draco sent him a letter telling him that if he punished Draco's mother instead off him, then he was a coward.  
  
It was Tuesday, November 29th, and Draco and I were on our way to potions class. We had eaten in the kitchens again, wanting to avoid everyone in the Great Hall. Ever since that day, last Friday, everyone had been acting really strange. Even after Draco, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and I left the class, everyone else broke out into fights. Professor Hayes was quite distraught, apparently muttering something about Snape. The students thought she was crazy.  
  
Even stranger, I thought, was that ever since Harry, Ron, and Ginny got dragged off to Dumbledore's office, we all seemed to regret what we had said to each other. And that's not just us five, it includes everyone. Everyone regretted what they said, but were too confused and weren't sure if it could be taken back. Surprisingly also, Harry, Ron, and Ginny didn't get punished by Dumbledore. After hearing the story and hearing them apologize over and over, he simply told them to see Professor Snape. They were thinking they were going to get detention, and they were all afraid to go to class.  
  
We were now all sitting in our desks, and each and every one of us was silent. Most of us were mad at the person we were sitting next to, or other people in the class. When Snape walked in and saw us, not talking, I almost saw him smile. "Hello, class," he said, his voice dripping with fake sincerity. "I trust your weekends all passed uneventfully?" We all looked at him strangely, and he sighed.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore has told me that I have caused much trouble with those Aucunes Craintes potions we worked on last class for a while. Apparently, I should have told you that this potion, in that stage, can sometimes cause... side effects. For example, two formerly best friends could break into a fight over a stupid little thing. It has happened to you, and I suggest you find all your friends whom you've been fighting with and make up, because that was truly not a genuine fight.  
  
For some, this side effect may have started directly after class." He barked a short laugh. "I had some very outspoken complaints from Lorrifom- Professor Hayes- about some fights that broke out in her class. They would have stopped by sunset last Friday."  
  
I glanced around at Harry, Ron, and Ginny (A/N: Let's say she was in the same class with them... I don't think she would be, but she just is, ok? Sorry!!!!) and saw that they were all looking quite embarrassed.  
  
The rest of potions class went rather uneventfully, and everyone was working together again, and talking, and sounded like they were friends again. After class, when everyone was packing up their stuff and filtering out of the room, Harry, Ron, and Ginny stuck behind. I approached them, and they all looked like friends again. Harry had his arm around Ginny, and he was the first one to speak up.  
  
"Mione, I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed, his eyes wide under the locks of hair that had fallen into his eyes. "I don't know what happened, I... I just don't know! The point is I'm sorry, and you heard Snape, it wasn't my fault, and-"  
  
"Harry," I laughed. "It's okay. All is forgiven on my part. What about you guys? Do you forgive me? Ginny?"  
  
They all nodded, and Ginny smiled at me. "I would've done the same thing you did if I were you," she said shyly. I smiled back at her to show her that I wasn't mad.  
  
"Yeah, so... back to normal?" Ron questioned.  
  
"Yeah, sure," I replied absentmindedly. I was thinking about what Snape had said earlier. '... it may have started directly after class.' Well, that explained Harry's and everyone's behavior in DADA and on the grounds outside. But more on my mind was what he had said after that. 'It would have ended before sunset...' But that couldn't be true, could it? Remembering, I recalled sitting at the edge of the lake, feeling awful about what had happened, and watching the sunset. And then Draco had come up, and kissed me. After the sun had set.  
  
Everyone was leaving for classes, but I told them to go ahead without me. "I'll catch up in a sec, okay?"  
  
I approached Snape's desk cautiously, where he was sitting and grading papers, with Draco on my heels. "Er, Professor?" He looked up from his papers and glared at me. "Um... I just wanted to ask, um, are you sure about what you said before? About the side effects of working on the potions ending at sunset?"  
  
"Yes, Miss Granger."  
  
"But, are you positive that-"  
  
He cut me off. "The side effects will most definitely have worn off by sunset, maybe even a few minutes before. Do not question me."  
  
"But Professor," Draco argued. "She was just-"  
  
"I do not like to be questioned by my students, Mr. Malfoy. You've both just earned yourselves a detention. I will be seeing you Friday at 7:00. That is all," he added when Draco was about to open his mouth again.  
  
"I hate him!" I cried once we had gotten far enough away that he couldn't hear. "I was simply asking a question, and now we've got detention!" We were swiftly walking away from potions class, hurrying so we weren't late.  
  
"Yeah, I know. By the way, why was it that you were so intent on knowing if he was positive?" Draco looked at me questioningly, halting at the turn to Charms class.  
  
"Oh, no reason, really," I lied, blushing. He shrugged, and turned to go down the hallway, and I continued to the herbology greenhouse.  
  
I pulled my robes more tightly around me as I stepped out the front doors into the frigid air. The winter weather was finally starting to come out.  
  
As for Draco's question... the truth was, I wanted to know if the potion had had anything to do with the kiss. Obviously, Snape had made it quite clear that it would have worn off by then, but I didn't want to face the only other reason Draco and I would've shared a kiss: we wanted to.  
  
  
  
A/N: So do you get it now? Nobody is a jerk or anything like that, it was a side effect from the No Fears potion. So don't be mad, k? Next chapter will be more productive, I hope. Please review and tell me how it's going. 


	17. Snowballs and Vials

Disclaimer: I don't own HP characters.... I don't own HP characters... I don't own HP characters... JKR DOES, OK??? GET IT THROUGH YOUR HEAD!!! Ok, sorry, over reacted a bit. Ahem. Yeah.  
  
Chapter 16- Snowballs and Vials  
  
Hermione's POV (still, I know)  
  
As Christmas Break grew nearer, the weather grew colder and the students more restless. It was December 12th, the day before Break. It was the day of Lucius's deatheater meeting. It was also the day before the much anticipated Quidditch match, Gryffindor versus Slytherin. For me, this also meant something else, something potentially dangerous: Harry vs. Draco.  
  
We had been driving the teachers absolutely insane, so they decided to let us out for the second half of the day. Draco, Hannah, Terry, and I were all sitting in front of the fire studying when a knock came on the portal. I answered, and was happy to see Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Lavender all standing there.  
  
"Hey," Harry grinned at me, and glimpsed Hannah and Terry inside and waved. "It's finally snowing! We're having a snowball fight, you guys wanna come?"  
  
I beamed. I love the snow, and snowball fights were great. "Absolutely, I'm in!" I looked over my shoulder, and Hannah nodded enthusiastically. "Meet you by the lake in half an hour?"  
  
Ron nodded. "We're going to recruit more people. See you then."  
  
I turned back to the common room, excited that it was Winter Break and I could have some fun with my friends. Hannah and Terry had gone upstairs, presumably for more layers of clothing, and I was heading up, too. "Come on, Draco, you'll freeze to death in what you're wearing."  
  
"What makes you think I'm going?"  
  
I stopped in my tracks and went back over to him. "What? You have to go! It's gonna be so much fun!" I grabbed his wrist and pulled him with me up the stairs.  
  
Well, fine, whatever," I heard him mumble. "I'm only doing this for you!" he called before retreating to his room. I smiled.  
  
Half an hour later, the four of us, Neville, Seamus, Padma, and some various other students from other houses were gathered and waiting for Harry and Ron. They finally came running up with Lavender and Ginny, and Dean in tow.  
  
"Look who we found!" Harry grinned. We decided the fight should be girls against guys. Us girls went over, and some of us made snowballs while some built up a wall to duck behind, and the guys did the same.  
  
"Ready!" Ron cried. "Set! Go!" I ducked right as a snowball from him sailed over my head. I threw one back, and Ron ducked, my snowball hitting Seamus right in the chest. The war had begun.  
  
My fingers were tingling with cold, but I kept making and throwing snowballs. I heard Ginny yelp and she dove down as a snowball whistled past her, ruffling the top of her hair. She got up and fake-glared at Harry, who grinned and waved before dodging out of the way of the angry red- head's snowball.  
  
I spotted Draco running toward the guys' supply of snowballs. I grinned wickedly, aimed, and fired, catching him right in the back of the head. He bent down, stood again, and whirled to face me, a wide smile spreading across his face. I noticed that he was cradling an arm full of snowballs. Before I knew what was happening, he was chucking them at me, one after the other. I heard him laughing as I tried to dodge them, but got hit by a few. I dove behind the wall, taking cover. I didn't dare get up, because I knew he would be waiting.  
  
Getting a brilliant idea, I pulled my wand out of my robe. I stood back up, and sure enough, Draco was waiting for me. He started throwing again, but this time I was ready.  
  
I pointed my wand at the first incoming snowball. "Wingardium leviosa!" I yelled, and the snowball stopped, and was just floating in midair. With a flick of my wrist, I sent it flying back right at Draco, who was out of snowballs now, and hit him in the shoulder.  
  
Taking my example, many other students had drawn their wands, and we were now engaged in a magical snowball fight. Some sent snowballs flying through the air, and some melted the ones aimed for them with a charm taught to us by Professor Flitwick to seal in heat.  
  
It wasn't long before Harry had called his broomstick to him and he was zooming through the air, showing off. Ginny was the first one to finally hit him with a snowball, and he rushed at her, pulling up abruptly before he knocked her over. She smiled, and he pulled her up with him onto his broom, rising up again.  
  
A scream from Lavender drew my attention back to the game. "Spy!" she screamed to us girls, collapsing in a fit of giggles into Ron's arms as he tickled her from behind. "Ron," she gasped, trying to hold back the laughter in attempt to catch her breath. "Stop!" But he relentlessly continued to hold her up and tickle her.  
  
Harry zoomed past and Ginny gave me a heads up. "Hermione, look out!" she called.  
  
I glanced up in time to see Draco flying at me on his broom, a pile of snow in his arms. He dropped it right over me, but was high enough up that I only got lightly sprinkled with snow. He landed back on the guys' side, and leaned against his broomstick. I grinned evilly at him, waved, and brought up my wand. Before he could run, I pointed at an area of snow next to him and muttered a curse to blow it up. The snow blew up and covered his whole right side in white powder.  
  
Just then, Professor McGonagall leaned out of the window of her office and screamed at us. "No more magic for snowball fights!" she hollered, using a voice-magnifying charm to make it carry to us through the falling snow. Then she slammed the window.  
  
"Game!" Ron called from his place beneath Lavender, leaning against a tree, just before sprinkling snow over her head. She glared back at him, and he grinned. "Okay, now game," I heard him say.  
  
We all met back in the middle of our 'war-zone' and began walking back to the castle. I was talking to Padma when Draco flew slowly up beside me and landed, dismounting his broom.  
  
"See, wasn't that fun?" I beamed at him.  
  
"Yeah," he said, smiling a little. "Yeah, it was. I may even have been able to convince Ron that I'm not completely evil."  
  
"You called him Ron."  
  
"Yeah," he murmured thoughtfully. "Yeah, I did."  
  
Still Mione  
  
I sat in front of the fire thirty minutes later, in dry clothes, trying to warm up. Instead of putting on new robes, I had dug out some jeans I had in my trunk, and wore them with a warm, fuzzy green sweater over a dark green tank top.  
  
Surprisingly, Draco also had jeans on, with a simple black shirt.  
  
Suddenly I groaned, remembering something. "We have detention with Snape," I reminded him.  
  
"Oh, great," he replied. "It's 6:15 now, we'd better go if we're gonna get anything to eat before."  
  
I sighed, and he pulled me to my feet. We made our way down the corridor to the picture of the feast, and I said he new password. "Raspberry Jello." It swung open, and we took our seats at 'our table'.  
  
An elf named Jackie brought us our food, and we started eating. I helped myself to as much mashed potatoes and fried chicken fingers as I wanted, then sat back and watched as Draco continued to devour the food.  
  
At 6:50 I finally told him we needed to go. He grabbed a last piece of chicken and followed me to Snape's room.  
  
We got there exactly 1 minute and 7 seconds late, and Professor Snape was standing there impatiently like he had been waiting all night.  
  
"You're late," he growled, glaring at us when we walked in. He walked to the supply room, and we followed. Pointing at the cupboards full of vials, beakers, and who knows what else, he explained to us what our job would be. "I am leaving you two alone tonight, hoping you'll be able to do this simple thing. You will clean all of these," he said, gesturing at the overflowing cabinets. "And place them back in the cupboards neatly, without your wands. I put them under a spell so that you may only take them off my desk when the cleaning is done." And with a snap of his fingers, he was gone.  
  
I groaned, while Draco simply stared unbelieving at all the dirty vials. This would take awhile.  
  
  
  
I sighed for what must have been the hundredth time as I finished cleaning out a beaker, set it in the cupboard, and picked up a new one. "This blows."  
  
"No kidding," Draco agreed as he set the last beaker in the cabinet and closed the door. "Ten down, two to go," he said. "We can finish these."  
  
"Are you sure? Cause I don't think I can. It's stifling in here, and I'm going to go insane!" We'd been in that supply room for four hours, and it was 11:00. We'd gotten ten huge cabinets full of glass cleaned and neatly arranged in that amount of time, while managing to only break three vials.  
  
"How about we take a break?" he suggested. I looked up at him and nodded eagerly, already up off my stool and halfway out the door.  
  
I ran over and opened a window, leaning against the sill and soaking up the cold air. I had long since shed my sweater, and was wearing only my dark green spaghetti-strap shirt. When I was cooled off enough, I shut the window, but left my sweater off.  
  
I was leaning against the wall, and slid down it until I was sitting on the floor, and Draco came to sit next to me. I closed my eyes and rested my head against the wall.  
  
"You okay?" Draco asked.  
  
"Yeah, just... bored out of my mind." I opened my eyes to look at him, and he nodded. "This has gotta be worse for you though. You have a Quidditch game tomorrow morning."  
  
He winced "Yeah, I know. I'll probably fall asleep and fall off my broom." I laughed.  
  
"No, you won't. It'll be fine. Of course," I added on second thought, "Gryffindor's gonna win." I playfully stuck my tongue out at him.  
  
"No way!" he argued, laughing at my childishness. "Slytherin's team may not be that great, but they've got me. I'll catch the snitch, and we'll win!" I rolled my eyes, and got to my feet.  
  
"Come on, let's finish up those last two cabinets."  
  
  
  
Forty five minutes later, I set the last jar on the shelf of the last cabinet.  
  
"Snape better appreciate this," I grumbled. "You can see your freakin reflection in those jars!" Draco laughed and led me out of the room, closing the door behind him.  
  
I grabbed my wand off Snape's desk. "It would've been SOOO much easier with magic."  
  
We trudged slowly down the maze-like halls lit by moonlight through the windows, back to our common room. We must've been about halfway there when we passed a large window in a deserted hall that I'd never paid any attention to before. However, when we passed by it, I gasped and did a double-take. I stopped walking and just stared out the window.  
  
"Mione, wha-" Draco cut off when he saw what I was gazing at.  
  
The view from this window was simply breathtaking. The full moon seemed to be hovering just over the lake, and the snow-covered mountains looked misty in the background. The snow was falling lightly on the ice- covered lake, and was barely distinguishable from the twinkling stars in the clear sky. I leaned on my elbows and stared out at it for a few moments before speaking. "It's beautiful," I whispered simply, in awe.  
  
"It sure is," Draco replied. I turned to look at him, but surprisingly, he wasn't gazing at the lake as I had been. He was staring right at me, and when I turned to look at him, I found myself staring into his blue-gray eyes, and I discovered that they were almost exactly the color of the mountains in the moonlight.  
  
About a million thoughts were running through my head as we stood there. Was I sure this was Draco Malfoy, and not an imposter? Cause he sure wasn't acting like himself lately. I think I liked him. I knew I liked him. A lot.  
  
Slowly, he leaned in closer until our faces were mere inches apart. My thoughts were racing, and I closed my eyes as he leaned in and kissed me softly, gently. I almost hated to say it, but his kisses were better than Harry's... soooo much better. Harry's kisses made me feel good enough, but with Draco, I got such an overwhelming feeling of joy, pleasure, and even... love.  
  
He pulled away briefly, then came back and I automatically deepened the kiss. My hands linked behind his neck, just resting on his shoulders, and his ran down my sides to my waist, pulling me closer.  
  
He pulled away again, and just stared at me, a question in his eyes. Was I okay with this? I wasn't sure, but I knew I sure as hell didn't want it to stop. In response to his unspoken question, I drew him down to me and we kissed again, a long deep kiss. I felt his tongue slide along my bottom lip, and a shiver ran down my spine. I was certainly no expert on kisses, but I figured this one couldn't be this passionate and gentle at the same time, and be a side effect of some sort of potion or something. This was genuine.  
  
We finally broke apart again for the need to breathe. Draco grinned widely at me, and I smiled back, breathing deeply. "So," I whispered, almost afraid to break the silence. "What was that?"  
  
"I'm not sure," Draco admitted. "But I'm willing to find out what it turns into. What about you?"  
  
"Yeah," I grinned. "I think I'd be willing to do that." Draco kept his arm around my waist and led me down the hall back to the common room.  
  
  
  
A/N: YAY!!!! DRACO AND HERMIONE ARE FINALLY TOGETHER!!!!! YAY!!!! I'm so excited, are you guys!!?? I can't wait to write more of this. It's gonna be so fun! Thanx for all the wonderful reviews, hope you keep it up! 


	18. Quidditch

Disclaimer: I disclaim the whole story. JKR owns all things Harry Potter related, except my plot.  
  
Chapter 18- Quidditch  
  
Draco's POV (finally!)  
  
I awoke on December 13th with a smile on my lips, and for a moment I couldn't remember why, then it struck me: Hermione. I grinned wider and rolled out of bed, but froze when I saw my father's owl. With shaking hands, I took the envelope and sent the owl on it's way back. I tore the seal and unfolded the parchment. It was dated today.  
  
Draco,  
  
I was very disappointed not to see you at the meeting last night. Pity you didn't come, really. Someone will pay. Maybe not your mother, perhaps there is now a new possibility of someone you care about. -Lucius  
  
He couldn't know about Hermione, could he? My mind was racing, panicking. I had to get to Hermione before anyone found out about us. No one could know. My father was just too dangerous, especially when I ticked him off like I had. Glancing at my clock, I saw that it was only 9:30. The Quidditch game didn't start until 11:00, so I had plenty of time, but I wanted to warn Hermione. Taking the letter with me, I walked quietly across the hall and slowly opened her door. As I suspected, she was still asleep, curled up on her side, clutching the blanket to her chin. I smiled to myself again; she was mine now.  
  
"Mione," I whispered, touching her shoulder gently. "Mione, wake up." She stirred slightly, and smiled when she saw me.  
  
"Draco," she breathed, yawning and stretching. "It's Saturday, remember?"  
  
"Yes, I know, but I need to talk to you." She must've seen something behind my eyes, because a look of concern crossed her face.  
  
"What is it?" I showed her the letter, and she paled, but tried to reason with me. "Oh, Draco, he can't do anything here, we're safe as long as Dumbledore's here."  
  
"Yeah," I sighed, feeling somewhat better. "I guess you're right. I'm still worried for you, though. Maybe we should just keep us a secret? Just for now," I added, seeing the confusion behind her eyes. "It would be best, so he doesn't find out and want to hurt you. I couldn't stand that," I pleaded with my eyes, and it must've worked, because she gave in.  
  
"Alright," she agreed. "I don't like having to keep 'us' a secret, but I'll do it. For you," she added, before she pecked me on the cheek. I smiled and kissed her swiftly before getting up and going back to my own room.  
  
Once back, I changed into my green and silver Quidditch robes with khaki pants and went downstairs. Hermione was already dressed in jeans and a red turtleneck sweater with a gold scarf, and she looked magnificent. "What do you want to eat?" she asked. "Kitchens or Great Hall?"  
  
We barely ever ate in the Great hall anymore, but if she didn't care then I sure didn't. She was the one who had friends there, not me.  
  
"Doesn't matter to me," I replied. "But won't Ron and Harry get mad at me for stealing you away?" I had called them Ron and Harry. What was happening to me??  
  
She grinned. "Oh, maybe you're right, but if we eat there, we have to hide 'us', don't we?" I nodded, and she took my hand and pulled me toward the kitchens.  
  
Apparently they had changed the password again, because when Hermione said 'Raspberry Jello', nothing happened. We knocked on the door until a scurrying Lilly came to let us in. "Oh, it's you! Come in, the new password is Frosted Cookies," she told us when we came in. She glanced down to our interlocked fingers. "And you are finally together, I see! About time!" Hermione blushed, but didn't let go of my hand. I was more glad than I could say. At least I knew she wasn't embarrassed of being with me.  
  
"Lilly," I warned. "You can't tell anyone, ok?"  
  
"Well, I don't see why you want to keep it a secret, but alright, I won't tell."  
  
"Thanks," Hermione gave her a warm smile before she scurried off to get us some donuts and coffee.  
  
When she came back with a plate of chocolate donuts, Hermione's cappuccino, and my black coffee, we started scarfing them down. It was 10:00, and Flint wanted the team ready to go in the locker room by 10:45.  
  
After my third cup of coffee and fourth donut, I was considerably more awake than I had been 30 minutes ago, and I was ready to go play Quidditch. "Ready?" I asked Hermione, and she nodded.  
  
She came with me to the common room, and accompanied me to my bedroom to get my broom. When I found it, she followed me back into the hall, and stopped.  
  
"I'm gonna go now, okay?"  
  
I smiled at her and nodded. "Okay, thanks." I leant down just slightly to brush my lips against hers, and watched as she retreated to the Gryffindor room. After a minute, I remembered the time and ran down the stairs to meet the team in the locker room.  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
I had to get rid of the warm feeling I had from being with Draco before going to talk to the Gryffindors. If I came in all lovestruck, they would get suspicious.  
  
When I did come in, many people must've gone out to the field or stands already, because only a couple students were rushing around, getting ready for the game. Of course, Harry and Ron were among them.  
  
"Hey!" Ginny called from across the room when she saw me enter. "Mione! Harry and Ron are upstairs looking for Harry's broom. Lavender left to save some seats, and NOW," she added as Neville and Seamus left the room, "we are the only ones left."  
  
I laughed at her rushed explanation, and headed up the stairs to the guys' dormitory, while Ginny searched the room for her ear warmer headband.  
  
"No, Ron, it's not in there!" Harry's voice grew louder as I climbed the stairs. "I already looked!" I poked my head into the room and giggled. They had torn apart the whole room, and it was a mess. Trunks were overturned, robes were scattered over the floor and hanging on bedposts, and there were books lying open on the floor and beds.  
  
When they heard me, Harry stopped throwing things out of the closet and looked at me. "Oh, um, hey Hermione!"  
  
"Mione!" Ron's muffled voice yelled from inside the closet. "Help us find Harry's broom!"  
  
I rolled my eyes. "Harry," I said in a voice dripping with fake innocence. "Have you forgotten that you're a wizard?" He looked confused and shook his head.  
  
I sighed and held out a hand. "Accio broom!" In a moment, we saw what looked like a pile of clothes rising from underneath Harry's bed. I walked over and pulled the robes off to reveal Harry's broomstick, and he groaned.  
  
"Why didn't I think of that?" He grabbed it and ran downstairs. "Ron!" he bellowed. "Come on!"  
  
Ron emerged from the closet and peeled a sock off his shoulder, using his foot to shove some junk back inside. "Did he find it?"  
  
I laughed and grabbed his wrist to drag him to the game. If left to his own devices, poor clueless Ron would never get there on time. When we caught up with Harry and Ginny down the hall, we slowed, and I let go of Ron. We walked quickly down the hall, wanting to get to our seats and Harry needing to get ready for the game with the rest of the team.  
  
We paused at the turn to the locker room, and Ron and I stood in front of the doors to go up to the stands while Harry shyly and quickly kissed Ginny goodbye on the cheek. I thought how Ron must feel, and how awkward it would be to have your sister dating your best friend.  
  
"Goodluck, Harry," Ginny smiled.  
  
"Goodluck," I echoed.  
  
"Be sure to stay alert and win the game, alright?" was Ron's goodbye. Harry grinned and waved one last time before jogging down the hallway to the lockers.  
  
I shivered when we stepped outside into the freezing morning air, and pulled my gold gloves out of my pocket and slipped my hands into them. We spotted Lavender waving, and made our way to the middle of the front row she had claimed for us. Ron sat down next to her with his arm around her middle and kissed her briefly. She grinned at me and I sat down on her other side, beside Ginny.  
  
No sooner had we gotten settled in the seats than Lee Jordan announced the teams' names and they came flying out from either side of the field. Madam Hooch walked to the middle of the pitch and released the balls, then threw up the quaffle with an ear-piercing whistle. "And the game begins!" Jordan cried.  
  
A/N: I was gonna combine the next chapter, but I'm way behind, and I needed to get this chapter up today!!! Ahhh!!! And I am soooooooooooo sorry, but I'm leaving for vacation in a few days, and I won't be able to update for a week and 2 days!!! Oh no!! Well thanks for the reviews, please review again and let me know how you feel about this chapter! 


	19. AN: I'm sooo sorry! Please read

Okay, I'm soooo sorry for not getting a chapter up today! I've been so busy packing and Christmas shopping, plus I have a tiny bit of writer's block. *STABS WRITER'S BLOCK!* It's my worst enemy... Anyways, I'm really sorry, but this'll be the last chapter up for at least a week and two days!! OH NO!! I'm really sorry, and I'll definitely be trying to work on this story over vacation. (In between hangin on the beach. Don't wanna get sand in my laptop!) But anyway, just wanted to put SOMETHING up to at least let ya'll know that I'm definitely not abandoning this story or anything. Hopefully I'll have a few chapters to put up when I get back to make it up to you guys. Have fun, and Happy Thanksgiving if you celebrate it! 


	20. More Quidditch

Disclaimer: It's not mine, it's JKR's, and she's amazing and a genius.  
  
A/N: OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!!!!!!!!!! I'm soooooooo completely and sincerely sorry that it's been SOOOO long!!! AHHHH!!! Here's the chappie!  
  
  
  
Chapter 19- More Quidditch  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
I couldn't see the faces of the players soaring on the pitch; they were just blurs of either green and silver or red and gold. I could, however, see one blur of each color hovering above the action, and I was sure they were Draco and Harry, each hoping to catch a glimpse of the snitch.  
  
The quaffle was intercepted from two Gryffindors by a green-clad player, and they swept off toward the other end of the field. The ball made it into one of the giant hoops, and the scoreboard ticked: Slytherin- 10 Gryffindor- 0  
  
Slytherin scored the first goal, but Gryffindor wasn't far behind. Figures were whizzing past each other, rushing to one side of the pitch or the other, and the quaffle was being tossed like a hot potato. I so was wrapped up in the action going on and Lee Jordan screaming the announcements that before I knew it, 30 minutes had passed, and the score was 70- 50, Gryffindor in the lead.  
  
I caught a glimpse of a blond-haired Gryffindor player, and knew it to be Fredrick Slate, a 6th year, and Chaser for the team. He snatched the quaffle from a Slytherin member, and zoomed off toward Gryffindor's goal, crouched close to his broom for more speed. Almost out of nowhere, a Slytherin appeared at his side, and rammed into him. Caught off-guard, Fredrick swung so that he was hanging upside down on his broom, and lost hold of the ball. Another Slytherin player grabbed it, and was on her way to the other end of the field when Allegra, a Gryffindor beater, hit her with a bludger. She was apparently knocked unconscious, but managed to stay on her broom as it flew straight into the ground.  
  
Tom Hansen, a dark-haired Gryffindor 7th year, grabbed the quaffle and scored another goal. "And another ten points for Gryffindor!" Lee screamed over the cheering.  
  
Slytherin scored three more goals, and the score was tied, 80-80. I glanced up at Draco and Harry to see if either of them saw anything. They were both scanning the area intently, hoping to see a flash of gold. Suddenly, as I watched, they both seemed to see something at the same time. They both pushed their brooms straight towards each other, both heading towards the middle. I squinted and saw the light catch a glint off of the small golden snitch.  
  
They were flying toward each other, zooming from their opposite sides of the pitch to the middle. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a tiny twinkle of green. I thought it might be a bird, but when I turned my eyes widened. I snatched a pair of binoculars out of Lavender's hands and gasped as I looked through them. I quickly turned back to the pitch, just in time to see Draco struggling frantically with his broom, then watched as he and Harry collided, right after Harry snatched the snitch.  
  
I watched in horror as both Harry and Draco plummeted to the ground. I heard someone scream "No!" but didn't realize until later that it was me.  
  
They hit the ground about a foot apart. Before I knew what I was doing, I had practically run over Ron and Lavender and was leaping down the stairs at least two at a time.  
  
When I reached the bottom, it felt like my brain had just stopped, and my heart was racing. I ran out onto the pitch to where Madam Hooch was kneeling next to Harry, who was sitting up.  
  
That's better than could be said for Draco. He hadn't moved at all from where he landed, sprawled on the ground. I almost ran to him, but Madam Pomfrey came up behind me, blocking my way for a second, long enough for my brain to stop me. No one knew about me and Draco being together, and for good reason, so it wouldn't look very good if I ran to him.  
  
"He's unconscious," Madam Pomfrey announced. "He may have worse injuries as well." Her face was white and tight with worry. "I have to take him to the infirmary. Harry, dear, are you alright??"  
  
A wave of guilt washed over me for a moment, I hadn't even thought about Harry, but it was quickly drowned out by worry again.  
  
"Yeah, I'm okay, just some scrapes and bruises," he replied, rubbing his shoulder he had landed on. Madam Pomfrey nodded, and with the help of Madam Hooch, carried Draco through the air off the pitch.  
  
After they were gone, Ginny ran up and threw her arms around Harry. He winced, and Ginny immediately released him and began apologizing profusely, but Harry wrapped her in a tight hug, cutting her off.  
  
I couldn't seem to do anything but stand there, the shock finally setting in. I felt my knees go watery and give way. I was afraid I was going to fall, but was caught from behind by a pair of strong arms. For a split second, my heart leaped and I thought it might be Draco, but then it plummeted again, it couldn't be him.  
  
"Hermione!" Ron. I hadn't even known he was there. He sounded surprised, but tried to reassure me. "It's okay! Look, Harry's fine. Everything is okay."  
  
He thought I was worried about Harry. It was probably better that way. I closed my eyes for a few seconds before forcing myself to stand up.  
  
"Yeah," I said in what I hoped sounded like a calm voice. "Sorry, Ron. Um, I think I'm gonna go... back to my room," I explained while walking away. "Feel better, Harry! See you guys later!"  
  
I could hear them talking as I walked briskly away. On my way up the stairs and through the winding halls, I recalled what I had seen before Harry and Draco fell.  
  
Over near the teachers' stand, trying to hide in the shadows, I saw Lucius Malfoy, reminding me of the time I thought Snape had cursed Harry's broom in first year. Only this time it was real. He had his wand out, pointed at Draco, and I could see him muttering something. Then Draco's broom went haywire.  
  
Lucius jinxed Draco's broom, probably to get back at him for not going to the meeting. If he didn't hesitate in harming his own son, what would stop him from hurting or killing some little mudblood witch like me?  
  
A/N: I'm soooo sorry it's so short, but it's been so long and I really wanted to get another chapter out. I've been so busy trying to catch up all my school work, and I feel like my grades are slipping, and finals aren't too far away, and I'm totally FREAKING OUT!!!! *calm breath* Okay. But hopefully you can look forward to another chapter soon! Please review! Thanks to those who did! 


	21. Late Night Visits and Remembering

Disclaimer: *sigh* So sad... JKR owns it, not me. I can deal with that.  
  
A/N: AARRRGGGHHH!!! I'm so sorry! I finally got this chapter out, just be thankful for that. I'm sorry it wasn't out sooner, but here it is, at long last.  
  
Chapter 21- Late Night Visits and Remembering  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
I lay there on my bed, staring at the ceiling, the same thing I had been doing most of the day, stopping only to eat and to do some Transfiguration work. I glanced at the clock for the thousandth time, just as it clicked to 10:07. 'That's good enough for me,' I thought, swinging my feet to the ground.  
  
I tip-toed quietly down the stairs to the common room, thankful that Terry and Hannah were already in their rooms. I went to my couch and pulled the invisibility cloak I had "borrowed" from Harry earlier from under the cushion. I swept it over me as I swung open the portal, and stepped out into the dark corridor. I crept quickly and silently down the winding hallways and staircases toward the hospital wing.  
  
When I reached the entrance, I almost ran into Madam Pomfrey as she was exiting the room. I waited until she had left, then silently slipped in. It was empty except for Draco, who was in the farthest bed. As I approached, I noticed that he was awake and half sitting up, simply staring at the ceiling, obviously deep in thought. I pulled off the cloak, and he gasped, jumping about a foot in the air.  
  
"Mione!" he exclaimed softly. "Don't do that!"  
  
"Sorry," I mumbled to my feet. It was silent for a moment, then I slowly looked up into his eyes, and he was smiling at me. I returned his warm smile, and went over to the side of his bed. He scooted over a bit, wincing as he did, and I noticed his arm was in a sling. He patted the space on the bed beside him, and I took a seat and swung my feet up so I was half-laying next to him, snuggling up against his good shoulder. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah, I'll be fine. I broke my arm in two places, but Madam Pomfrey said she could heal it pretty well, except for a little soreness in the muscles." He turned his face to look into my eyes. "What about you? Are you okay?" I nodded, but he went on. "It was my father, Hermione. He jinxed my broom, I saw him. Did anything happen after we fell?"  
  
"I know it was Lucius. I saw him too. And no, he disappeared right after you collided with Harry and started plummeting," I gulped, and he wrapped his free arm around me. "God, Draco," I whispered to him. "Don't ever do that again, okay?"  
  
He laughed softly. "Don't worry, I certainly don't plan on repeating the experience anytime soon." I forced myself to laugh with him, though I was still remembering how terrible it was to see him falling. He grew serious again. "You're sure you're okay?"  
  
I nodded. "You sure you're okay?"  
  
He smiled warmly me. "Well," he whispered, looking at me. "I wasn't so sure before, but I'll be fine as long as you're here."  
  
I grinned at him and looked into his icy gray eyes before he leaned in to kiss me. I tipped my head up slightly to meet his lips, and felt them gently brush mine then pull away. He came back quickly, over and over, teasingly, until eventually the kiss deepened.  
  
When we pulled away for the last time, I took in a deep breath, refilling my lungs with oxygen, and noticed Draco doing the same. Suddenly, I heard a clunk out in the hallway. My eyes widened and I looked at Draco as he stiffened. Thinking quickly, I leapt off the bed and scrambled to the chair I left the cloak on. I slipped it around me just as Madam Pomfrey entered the room.  
  
"Draco!" she cried shrilly. "I can't believer you're still awake! You need your rest!" She walked over to the bed, passing two inches in front of me, and I held my breath. She went to his bedside table and poured him a glass of a purple-ish colored liquid. "Here, drink this." Draco complied, but almost gagged as he tasted the concoction. "It'll help with the soreness," she told him, and he finished off the cup, wincing. "Now, I'm going to go to bed, and I strongly suggest you do the same!" And with that she swept past me once more, and exited the wing.  
  
I let out my breath as I swept the cloak off once more, walking over to Draco's bed again and sitting down. "She's right you know," I added. "You need rest, and so do I, so I'm gonna go back to bed. I'm really glad you're okay, and I hope you feel better, okay?" I smiled at him.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, okay, see you tomorrow." He leaned in for a last kiss, but I pulled back grinning.  
  
"No way! I saw you choke down that potion, I don't want to taste it!" I laughed with him. I got up and grabbed my cloak, and started to throw it over me, but paused as a sudden thought crossed my mind and my heart sunk. "Are you leaving for Christmas?"  
  
"No. I have absolutely no desire for seeing my father, and my mother is away with friends, so I'm staying here. You?"  
  
I smiled in relief. I didn't want to spend the whole holiday with no one to keep me company, since Harry and Ron were both leaving to visit Charlie in Romania. "I'm staying too. Come back as soon as possible tomorrow, alright? Wake me up if I'm asleep." With that, I pulled the cloak over myself, and made my way back to the prefect room.  
  
When I got there, I used my portal in my room to silently return Harry's cloak, then went back downstairs to the common room. I wrapped my blanket around me and curled up on my couch in front of the fire to think, but before I could I was fast asleep.  
  
  
  
--'Take out your wand, Miss Granger,' she told me in my head. Keeping my eyes open, I looked at her and saw that her lips weren't moving. She never told anyone what to do aloud, just her voice in her head. Concentrating as hard as I could, I tried to keep my hands clamped into fists at my side, but slowly, painfully, my right arm came up to draw my wand from my robes.  
  
'Point it at Mr. Malfoy, Hermione.' WHAT?! No way! I would NOT point my wand at Draco! I closed my eyes, concentrating very hard. 'Give Mr. Malfoy the Cruciatus curse, Hermione.' No. I couldn't do that to Draco. Never. I bit my lip until it bled, but would not open my mouth to say the words. Would not. Could not. I would not give Draco the Cruciatus curse. No.  
  
No matter how hard I tried to prevent it, I felt my mouth opening and forming a word. Crucio. No! Not thinking about anything but stopping myself from using the Cruciatus curse on Draco, I did the only thing I could do at that point. I wrenched my arm, so instead of my wand pointing at Draco, I was pointing it at myself. "Cr-u-ci-o!"-  
  
  
  
"No!" I screamed, and sat bolt upright, cold with sweat, gasping for air. For a moment I didn't know where I was, but as my vision cleared, I could tell I was in the prefect common room, and I remembered falling asleep there last night after visiting Draco.  
  
Draco. When I awoke, he had been trying to wake me up as I'd told him to. When I sat up he pulled back quickly to avoid being hit, and had almost crashed over the top of the coffee table in the middle of the room.  
  
"Hermione!" he cried then, coming over to me. "What happened, what's wrong?" he yelled anxiously. I hadn't been aware until that moment that I was crying, and he tenderly reached up and gently brushed the tears away.  
  
"The dream," I sobbed. "I remembered, oh, God, Draco, I remember now!"  
  
He took me in his arms and I buried my face in his shoulder, unable to control the sobbing. "Sssshhhh, it's okay, Mione. It's okay, it was a dream. What do you remember?"  
  
I got myself more under control and sat up, sniffling and swiping at my eyes with the back of my hand.  
  
"That day in Defense Against the Dark Arts," I whispered. "I remember what happened to make me perform the Cruciatus on myself." Draco's eyes widened and he gripped my shoulders a little tighter. "It was because of you, Draco," I went on, horrified, tears falling silently once again. "She wanted me to do it to you, but I couldn't. She wanted me to perform an Unforgivable on you, so I turned it on myself instead." My voice was barely higher than a breath, but I knew he heard every word I said loud and clear.  
  
  
  
A/N: Ok, so I know that was a pretty lame ending, but I HAVE to get this up! I'll start working on the next chap ASAP and it'll be up soon, k? Thanks to my reviewers, please review again to keep me in good spirits in spite of my stupid writer's block. 


	22. Goodbyes

Disclaimer: Don't own it, JKR does, yadda yadda.  
  
A/N: I'm really sorry, truly, but I just can't seem to get out chapters! I've been concentrating on my school work, like a lot of you said, and I was able to do this chapter during some free time in class. Hope it's ok, I know it's pretty slow and kinda lame.  
  
Chapter 22- Goodbyes  
  
Draco's POV  
  
I was silent for a moment, absorbing what Hermione had just said, at least a thousand thoughts racing through my mind. "Are you sure?" I asked quietly.  
  
I looked into Hermione's honey-colored eyes, which were now brimming with tears, and she nodded. I took a deep breath, then slowly let it out.  
  
What did it mean? I recalled what Professor Hayes had told us on the first day: 'I am definitely not a supporter of Voldemort.' Did she think I was a supporter of the dark lord because of my father? That was the only idea I had that could make even the tiniest bit of sense.  
  
"Do you think," I said slowly, softly, "That Professor Hayes could want to hurt me," 'or kill me,' I added silently. "Because of my father being a supporter of Voldemort?"  
  
Mione's eyes widened. "Draco, that could be it!"  
  
"You remember what she said about Voldemort the first day?" She nodded quickly. "So if she thought my family were supporters of him, then she might be serious enough to... you know, get rid of me."  
  
"Oh, Draco!" Hermione suddenly threw her arms around my neck, almost knocking me backwards on the couch. "Everybody's trying to kill you!"  
  
I laughed, and she sat up, scowling at me. "It's not a laughing matter!" The look on her face just made me laugh harder. Before long, she was giggling.  
  
All the sudden, she stopped, and sat up straight. "Where are Hannah and Terry?" she inquired.  
  
"Oh," I replied, "They already left." Seeing the look she gave me, I continued, explaining. "Christmas Break, remember?"  
  
She gasped, and jumped up. "Oh no!" Before I knew it, she had spun and was halfway up the stairs.  
  
Mione's POV  
  
I had completely forgotten about Harry and Ron! They had to leave this morning, and I still hadn't said good-bye. Draco must've realized what I was up to, because he didn't follow me.  
  
I rushed into my room and across to my Gryffindor portal. I said the password and burst into the common room.  
  
A few people were scattered about the room, reclining in couches or playing games on tables. I spotted Seamus and Dean playing chess, and went over to them. "Where are Harry and Ron?"  
  
Dean smiled at me. "Nice to see you too, Hermione!" I blushed, but he went on, laughing. "Don't worry, nobody's left yet. They're upstairs."  
  
With a sigh of relief, I made my way over to the stairs, but almost ran into Ginny. Sure enough, holding onto her free hand was Harry. They were both lugging their trunks behind them. I had almost forgotten that Ginny would, of course, be going to Romania, too. Harry was surely delighted.  
  
Making a quick decision, I chose not to tell anyone about what I remembered quite yet. I grinned at them. "Hey! I thought I might miss you!"  
  
"Awwww, we couldn't leave without saying good-bye!" Harry nudged me with his shoulder.  
  
"Where's Ron?"  
  
"Oh he's upstairs," Harry replied. "Saying 'bye to Lavender."  
  
"Is she staying here for Christmas?"  
  
"No," Ginny answered. "Her family's going to Spain for the holidays."  
  
"Oh, well that should be fun!" I was happy for my friends to be going somewhere fun for Christmas. My parents were visiting my grandparents in Florida, and had told me that Gramma and Grandpa didn't have enough room for three people in their house. Of course, I would be having my own fun here at Hogwarts.  
  
"Yeah," Harry was continuing. "Ron's bummed, though. He-" Just then, Ron and Lavender descended the stairs, also dragging trunks.  
  
Ginny glanced at the clock. "We have to be downstairs in ten minutes, guys."  
  
I looked at all of them. "Well, have fun!" One by one, I hugged each of them, then bid a final good-bye, as did everyone else in the room who was staying.  
  
I waited for a few minutes after they left, talking to Seamus and Dean, before returning to my room. I grabbed a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, then headed down to the bathroom to take a shower. I noted that Draco wasn't there, and figured he was probably saying good-bye to the departing Slytherins.  
  
I took a long, hot shower, until I finally turned off the water and stepped out. I got dressed, applied the tiniest bit of makeup, then went back out into the common room.  
  
Draco still wasn't there, so I began to look for a book, but quit when I heard my stomach growl. I hadn't realized, but it was almost lunchtime. I slept in later than I thought.  
  
I got some food and two hot cocoas from the kitchens, and when I returned back to the common room, I saw that Draco was back.  
  
"Hey," I said, and he turned and smiled at me. "I got food," I announced unnecessarily as I set the tray on the coffee table in front of his couch, before plopping down next to him.  
  
"Great, thanks!" He picked up one of the turkey sandwiches and bit into it. I suddenly noticed the change in his appearance. Instead of the regular Hogwarts uniform, he too had changed into more casual clothes. He was wearing baggy, faded blue jeans with a black turtleneck sweater, and his hair was spiked up.  
  
He must've noticed me looking at him. "What?" he asked.  
  
I smiled and shook my head, leaning across him to grab a sandwich. "Oh, nothing."  
  
  
  
Draco's POV  
  
Three days later, on December 19th, we had run out of things to do. Hermione and I were laying on my couch, reading, when suddenly she sighed, laying her book down on her stomach.  
  
"What is it?" I asked.  
  
"There's nothing to do!" she exclaimed. "I've read this paragraph three times, and I don't know what's going on. I never thought I'd say this in my life, but I'm getting sick of reading. I'm bored."  
  
"I know, you're right," I confirmed. "It's definitely time for a change of scenery. That's why," I smiled mischievously as she looked anxiously at me. "I went to Dumbledore's office today. I asked him if we were allowed to go to Muggle London, and he said we could. I thought you'd like it."  
  
Hermione gasped and beamed at me, hugging me as best she could while laying next to me. "I do! Oh, thank you! Thank you, Dumbledore! I'm so excited!"  
  
"Well, I'm glad you like my idea."  
  
"I do," she said, more serious now. "Thank you. I know it's probably not your favorite choice of a place to go, but we'll have fun, I promise."  
  
"I believe you," I replied, then gently kissed her lips. "But it's late now, and I don't know about you, but I'm tired." She got off the couch so I could get up, and followed me up the stairs.  
  
"We'll go to London tomorrow," I told her. "Goodnight."  
  
"Goodnight," she called, still grinning.  
  
  
  
A/N: OK!! Another chapter out!! Sorry it's so boring. *Hides behind desk* Hopefully the next one will be a little bit better, probably more fluff. Look forward to the Christmas episode of Changing!! Hahaha. 


	23. Christmas

Chapter 24- Christmas  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
I awoke on Christmas Day with a feeling of someone watching me. I opened my eyes and found myself staring right into Draco's blue-gray ones. I yawned, then sat up, stretching. I smiled at him. "Happy Christmas," I said softly.  
  
"Happy Christmas, Mione," he whispered, before leaning in to give me a soft, gentle kiss. He pulled away and grinned, then pulled me up. "Come on, let's open presents. You were sleeping long enough!" I laughed as he pulled me down the stairs in my pajamas, arguing that he was still in his, and I didn't need to change. He was acting just like a little kid.  
  
In my earlier school years, I hadn't really thought about how the presents got there, but now I assumed it was the house elves. No matter what, every Christmas, the people who stayed at Hogwarts had their presents awaiting them when they woke up in the morning. As the common room came into sight I saw my presents stacked neatly on my couch and Draco's on his.  
  
I ran over and plopped down, causing one of the presents to tumble onto the floor. I reached for a big one in front of me, and saw that it was from my parents. I glanced over at Draco to see him tearing the paper off his gifts and smiled. He really was just like a kid. I slid my finger under a piece of tape and slowly unwrapped the present, finally revealing a box with some new clothes packed in tightly, including two pairs of jeans, three sweaters, a denim miniskirt, and a halter top.  
  
After I opened a few more gifts, Draco, being done with his, came to join me. I opened the last ones, and when I was done, he asked, "So, what did you get?"  
  
I showed Draco all my gifts I'd gotten, which included the clothes from my parents, a sweater from Mrs. Weasley, and some books from Harry and Ron. He'd gotten some new sweaters and a broom from his father, along with a note he hadn't read yet, and some other various things from some other Slytherins.  
  
"Ready for your present?" he asked quietly, drawing a small, shiny package from the floor beside the couch.  
  
"Oh! I have yours too!" I held out my hand and called the small gift into my palm. "Open yours first," I said, holding out the gift to him.  
  
"No," he protested, passing mine on to me. "At the same time."  
  
I smiled at him and started carefully unwrapping the present. What I found underneath the silver paper was a deep red, soft velvet box. I looked at Draco and saw that he had already unwrapped his and was holding the chain in his palm, examining it. "This is great! Thank you, Mione," he murmured softly before kissing me gently on the lips.  
  
"Well, there's more to it," I explained. "I'll tell you more about it later." He nodded, and gestured for me to open my gift, grinning.  
  
Slowly, I opened the box, and gasped when I saw what was inside. A pair of earrings, the deep red rubies glittering gently against the velvet. They were Gryffindor colors, with the deep red jewel set in gold. "Draco," I breathed. "They're beautiful!" I hugged him around his neck, then sat up. "Where did you get them?" I asked incredulously.  
  
He was grinning, pleased that I liked his gift to me. "I ordered them to be made, while we were in London," he explained. "Then I went back to get them later."  
  
"They're beautiful," I told him once again, looking him in the eye. "Thank you," I whispered.  
  
He leaned over for another kiss. When he pulled back, he asked, "Okay, now tell me about my gift." He leaned against the back of the couch and I propped my legs up on his lap.  
  
I held out my hand for him to pass me the silver chain necklace, and he did. I held it up in one hand, and, passing the other over it, muttered "Reveler," and a green serpent medallion appeared where there was nothing a moment ago. Draco stared, intrigued, and I continued. "I got it from an old man with a small shop in Diagon Alley. It looked like an old, dusty store, and had mostly antiques. I wasn't really looking for anything, but when I found it I thought I could use it as a regular chain for a charm or something. I asked the man how much it was, and he was reluctant to give it up. He said he'd been looking for it for years. I asked him why he wanted so much for it, and he showed me what it could do. He was mumbling something about it belonging to Salazar Slytherin and having some kind of power or something, but I convinced him it was a knockoff and got it for a reasonable price." I passed my hand over it again, murmuring "Voile," and the medallion disappeared once more. I passed the chain back to Draco, who was still looking at it in awe. "I thought you might like it."  
  
"I do!" he assured me, fastening it around his neck and tucking the chain under his shirt. "I'll see if that legend is true or not about it having some kind of power. Thanks, Hermione."  
  
I smiled, then got up from the couch, stretching. "I'm going to go get dressed, I'll be back down in a bit, okay?" Draco nodded, and I slipped away and up the stairs, carrying my large pile of gifts with me, my earrings safe in the pocket of my pajama pants.  
  
A/N: I'm so sorry!!!!! OMG OMG OMG!! I don't blame you if you hate me for not updating in so long, I owe everybody the hugest apology. I had major writer's block, and I just hope I can get over it now. Look forward to the next chapter soon, but probably not as soon as you or I would like. Just to let you know, I've not yet given up on this story, and I want to finish it. 


	24. New Promises and Old Friends

Disclaimer: I realized I forgot to slap one of these thingies on the last chapter, but I don't own that either. Hehe, yeah, JK Rowling owns all the characters and settings of the Harry Potter series, I don't, I only own this plot.  
  
Chapter 25- New Promises and Old Friends  
  
Draco's POV  
  
When I exited the bathroom on the morning of New Year's Eve after taking a hot shower, I heard the water turn on in Hermione's bathroom, and took the opportunity to get some food from the kitchens. She was finished when I returned, and I flashed her a grin before setting the tray down on my table and giving her a swift kiss on the cheek. She looked great in her faded blue jeans and dark maroon sweater, with her auburn locks laying gently upon her shoulders, and I almost couldn't believe that not even three months ago we had been sworn enemies.  
  
"Good morning." Her smile was contagious, and I grinned again, noticing that she was wearing the earrings I gave her for Christmas. I sliced off half a bagel and spread strawberry cream cheese over it, and gave it to Hermione as she leaned to her other side and grabbed a chocolate donut to hand to me. We'd been spending a lot of time together over the past couple weeks, since most of her friends were gone and there weren't any classes to go to. We'd grown more easy-going about our relationship, and I couldn't imagine having to start hiding it again when the rest of the students came back to Hogwarts the next day.  
  
"So," she began, as if reading my mind. "Everyone comes back tomorrow, and classes start the day after. It'll be strange to start classes again, after all this resting. And we'll have to start hiding again." She added the last part with just the smallest hint of sadness in her tone, but I caught it.  
  
"Yeah," I sighed, settling back into the couch and putting my arm around her. "It's something I'm not looking forward to, but we have to do it." I looked into her eyes to make sure she understood what I was saying. "Do you get what would happen if people found out about us?" She nodded, averting her gaze to her lap where our fingers were intertwined. "I'm really sorry, Mione," I whispered. "I don't want to do it either, but we don't really have a choice."  
  
She looked up and put on a smile. "I know, I understand, Draco. Don't worry about it."  
  
"Okay. I don't want to hide any more than you do, but there's nothing I can do about it right now." It was now my turn to shift my eyes and study the carpet. "I just... I just don't know how to make people understand, you know? I don't see my father understanding anything like true love." With that last part I looked back up at her face, awaiting a response. The surprise was evident in Hermione's caramel eyes, but soon it changed to a different emotion. "I love you, Mione," I whispered, unable to look away. "I love you. And that's why, one day, I promise I'm going to try to fix this, and we won't have to hide anymore. Alright?"  
  
"Okay," she breathed, smiling. I grinned back at her and pulled her into a warm embrace. "And Draco," she added. "I love you, too."  
  
  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
I looked up from my curled-up position in a chair in front of the Gryffindor fireplace when I heard the portrait open. I grinned as I saw Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Lavender walk in, and got up to welcome them back. When she saw me, Ginny immediately dropped her suitcase and unlaced her fingers from Harry's to hug me.  
  
"Welcome back!" I exclaimed, and was greeted by three more hugs when Ginny backed off. I noticed that everyone seemed to have a lot of fun over Christmas, but Ron and Lavender couldn't seem to keep their hands away from each other.  
  
'Well,' I thought, 'I guess if I was away from Draco for two weeks I'd be acting about the same way.'  
  
I smiled at the thought of Draco, but got caught up in the excitement of getting everyone's suitcases up to their dorms, and soon I ended up sitting on Lavender's bed, talking to Ginny and helping her unload her trunk. Lavender was in the boys' dorm with Ron, and Harry was downstairs in the common room.  
  
"So, you had fun?" The question was pointless since it was obvious to anyone with eyes that Ginny had a blast over Christmas. She couldn't stop smiling, and if anything it appeared that her and Harry's relationship had improved even more, if that was possible.  
  
"Yeah," she grinned. "It was a blast." But she didn't say anything else, so I let it go and continued chatting about nothing in particular.  
  
At the end of the night I was back in my room, sitting in my window in my pajamas and looking at the stars, when I heard a knock on my door. "Come in," I called. I expected it was Draco, but I couldn't be sure.  
  
I was proven correct when he walked through the door, also in his pajamas, and I smiled at him, trying not to stare. He was, as usual, wearing black silky pants with a tight black t-shirt showing off his muscles.  
  
"What's up?" I asked as he strolled over to me and pushed my legs off the window, making room for himself to sit down.  
  
"Oh, nothing," he said smoothly, leaning in closer until our noses were almost touching. "I just wanted a goodnight kiss." I felt the flutter of his breath on my skin, and smiled.  
  
"Oh really," I mumbled, but was silenced by his lips on mine. His tongue slowly parted my lips, and our kiss deepened. I put my arms around his neck and ran my fingers through his hair while his hand massaged the small of my back. We came up for breath just to come back again, and his mouth grew hot. I smoothed my hands up his firm stomach then returned to his hair. Eventually I pulled away, breathing deeply, my cheeks flushed, but smiling. "Goodnight, Draco."  
  
He got up and walked to the bedroom door, opening it and stepping out of the room. "Night, Hermione," he whispered before closing the door softly.  
  
  
  
A/N: I'm sorry it's been so long, I'm really stuck on this story, and I have no clue what to put. That's why this chapter's really lame, it's just to fill up space till I can think of something else to put. So hang with me, ok? 


	25. Caught

Disclaimer: I'm flattered if you think I made all this up, I really am, but I'm not that clever and it all belongs to JK Rowling except for the plot.  
  
Chapter 25  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
The next few weeks passed quickly, classes started, and everyone got back into the habit of their old routines. The excitement in the school grew as the promised class trip drew nearer, and it was the hottest topic of discussion.  
  
One night in late February, I was curled up on a chair in the Gryffindor common room in front of the big fireplace, reading a book and listening to Ron beat Harry at wizard's chess. Again. It was so comfortable, sitting there with the fire crackling and the friendly chit- chat of my friends, that I was surprised when the clock struck 11:00.  
  
Harry glanced up at it also, surprised, and Ron rubbed his eyes sleepily. "Oh wow," I said, getting up from my chair and stretching. "I didn't realize it was so late, I better be getting back. We've got double Potions with Slytherin tomorrow morning."  
  
"Night, Mione," Harry and Ron chorused.  
  
"Goodnight," I muttered, using the portrait to get back to my room. After changing into pajamas, I found that I wasn't really very tired. I walked down the stairs, planning on finding a good book and settling down on my couch for awhile. However, when I got to the bottom of the stairs, I saw Draco laying carelessly on his couch, one hand holding a book in front of him, one arm beneath his head. He looked up when he heard me enter the room, and grinned widely.  
  
"Where're Terry and Hannah?" I asked cautiously.  
  
He had already discarded his book and was walking toward me. "They're been sleeping for an hour." He whispered it, but I heard him just fine because his face was only inches from my own.  
  
"Oh," I murmured, but didn't get a chance to go on, because he quickly closed the distance between us. He pressed his lips to mine, and his tongue slid into my mouth, demanding me to react. He backed me up until I was against the wall, kissing me passionately, myself reacting just as eagerly. It had been tough having to hide again when everyone came back from break, and I didn't like it one bit. The only time we got alone was when we were in one of each other's rooms, and I was always paranoid that someone would walk in.  
  
I shivered a little as his hands ran up my sides, as I smoothed my hands across his firm stomach muscles underneath his shirt. We continued, caught up in the moment, and before I even knew what was happening, Draco's shirt was thrown carelessly to the floor and he was trying to get my spaghetti strap off. I finally came to my senses, but didn't seem to have the will power to push him away. Luckily, it seemed to dawn on Draco at the same time, and he pulled away, each of us breathing heavily, welcoming the fresh oxygen into our lungs.  
  
"Too much," he gasped, turning to lean against the wall next to me, his eyes still closed. Without a word, he walked over and picked up his t- shirt, pulling it back over his head as I readjusted my own shirt. I followed him over to his couch, half laying down and leaning against his chest.  
  
"I miss you," I murmured as he stroked my hair with one hand.  
  
"I'm still here, Mione."  
  
"I know," I sighed, "but I miss being with you. I miss not having to be afraid at all times that someone will find out about us, and spread it to the world, and your father will find out, and-" He silenced me with a hand over my lips. He didn't need me to finish the sentence to know what I was going to say. If his father ever found out he liked, maybe even loved, a 'filthy mudblood'... I shuddered, not even wanting to know what would happen.  
  
"Ssshhh. That won't happen, Hermione," he said sternly. "I promise. Okay? I promise you, I won't let it."  
  
I sighed, and snuggled closer to him. We lay there a while, and the last thing I remember before falling asleep was hearing the clock strike midnight.  
Draco's POV  
  
Hermione stirred on top of me, and I slowly opened my eyes, squinting against the sunlight flooding in through the windows, reflecting off the glistening white snow that covered the grounds. I groggily turned to look at the clock. 'Crap,' I thought, rather calmly for the situation I was in. 'Fifteen minutes to get to Potions.'  
  
I looked at Hermione, sleeping peacefully, resting on my chest. She was so beautiful, her dark amber hair falling gracefully around her face. "Mione," I whispered. She stirred a little more, but still didn't wake up. "Hermione, it's time to wake up. Potions." When she heard that her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled at me.  
  
"How long do we have," she asked, sitting up halfway.  
  
"Fifteen minutes," I answered.  
  
"Mmmm, k, I'll get up." She stumbled off the couch and up the stairs, and I followed. We both met back downstairs when we were dressed for the day's classes, Hermione's hair pulled back in a messy bun.  
  
"It's too bad we missed breakfast, I'm hungry," I complained, drawing Hermione closer to me with my arms around her waist.  
  
"Me too," she replied, before I kissed her softly. I held her for a moment longer, then released her, keeping her hand and intertwining my fingers with hers. It was a good thing Terry and Hannah were already at breakfast....  
  
At first the thought passed through my head as a positive thing, but then I stopped dead in my tracks, my eyes wide. "What?" Hermione asked, concerned. "Draco, what is it?"  
  
"Terry and Hannah," I told her flatly. She gasped, following my train of thought through. They were already at breakfast, and they couldn't have gotten there without passing through the common room, which we had so carelessly fallen asleep in, and they must've seen us both asleep on my couch, Hermione on top of me!  
  
"Draco!" she exclaimed, her voice going high. "Draco, what if they know? What if they found out, what if they tell someone, what's gonna happen?"  
  
My mind was racing with fear. If any of the Slytherins found out about my relationship with Hermione, there was no doubt my father would know within hours, and I was sure he'd be extremely... disappointed. And if that wasn't the understatement of the year, I couldn't imagine what was. I tried to reassure Hermione that nothing awful would happen as we rushed to Potions class. I only had to convince myself.  
A/N: Again, another pointless chapter, but at least I got something out, right? Hopefully things will get better as I go, I'm working on it. Please review, the positive comments help me get chapters out faster. Thanx! 


	26. Never Tell

Disclaimer: I'm really getting sick of these things, and you should know by now that I don't own it, JKR does.  
  
Chapter 26  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
Potions class seemed to last even longer than usual as I itched to finish with the ingredients for the day's potion so I could find Terry and Hannah and talk to them. I glanced across the room at Draco, who was working with Parvati Patil, and saw that in place of his trademark scowl, a look of worry was etched into his features.  
  
I must not have been paying close enough attention, because when Ron tried to hand me a beaker for our potion, it slipped through my fingers, landing on the hard stone floor with a crash of shattered glass and a spray of sizzling liquid. "Hermione!" Ron exclaimed, quickly taking a step back from the mess.  
  
"I- I'm sorry, I just-" I stumbled over my words.  
  
"Miss Granger!" Snape's voice boomed. "I strongly suggest that in the future you take extra precautions and pay closer attention to the task at hand!" He pulled his wand from his robes and muttered a quick clean-up spell, before walking away in a flutter of robes.  
  
I was about to let out a sigh of relief when he stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Oh, and twenty-five points from Gryffindor." Everyone from my house groaned.  
  
"Mione?" Ron questioned nervously. "What's wrong? You missed breakfast this morning, and now you can't pay attention. What's up?"  
  
I forced a smile, hoping it didn't look as tense as it felt. "It's nothing, Ron. I didn't get much sleep, and I woke up late, so that's why I missed breakfast. I guess I'm just tired. Really, Ron," I added after seeing the look he gave me.  
  
Ron sighed in defeat. "Okay. I just wanted to make sure you know that I'm always here for you if you wanna talk, okay?"  
  
This time my smile was sincere. "Alright, Ron. Thanks."  
An hour later, after potions, I was sitting on my couch with my legs under me, my hands clenched tightly in my lap, staring into Draco's eyes, filled with worry. He was sitting on his couch, a carefully maintained distance between us. If Hannah and Terry did know, and did tell someone, we didn't want to somehow make it worse. Draco suddenly tore his gaze away from mine as Terry and Hannah came walking through the portrait together, talking and holding hands.  
  
"Hey, you two," Hannah smiled, a mischievous glint in her eyes. Hannah came and plopped down on my couch cross-legged. "How come you didn't tell us you two were, you know, together?" I cringed as Hannah confirmed what I knew all along but was denying: They had seen us. "I mean, you are together, aren't you?" she asked, glancing at me, then at Draco.  
  
"Well..." I stammered, and looked to Draco for help.  
  
He got up off his couch and walked over to our couch, looking down at Hannah and I. "Hermione and I are 'together' as you say, yes." His tone was serious, not to be argued with. "But if that gets around, I will hunt you two down, because so far you are the only two people who know. And it's going to stay that way."  
  
Hannah looked confused and was about to open her mouth to say something when I interrupted. "Hannah, Terry," I said urgently, looking at both of them. "Please, *please* tell me you guys didn't tell anyone!"  
  
Hannah looked confused. "Well, no." I let all my breath out in relief, sagging against the back of the couch. So we weren't too late. "But I don't see why it's such a big deal, and why nobody can know. I think it's cute," she smiled.  
  
"Hannah," Draco said warningly. "You have no idea what would happen if some of the Slytherins found out. What would happen if my *father* found out. If he knew I was dating Hermione, a... muggle-born... he might go to extreme measures. Hannah," his voice dropped down to a whisper, "he would probably kill Hermione."  
  
I think that got his point across, because Hannah's eyes widened, and Terry looked grim. "So both of you guys have to swear you won't tell, okay? Swear on your life that you won't tell anyone, you won't act any differently, and you'll try your absolute best to not let anyone catch on. Do you swear?"  
  
Hannah and Terry looked at each other. "We swear," Hannah said sincerely, and Terry nodded solemnly. I broke out into a small smile, and threw my arms around Hannah's neck.  
  
"Thank you. You have no idea how awful it would be if anyone found out. Thank you so much, it means everything to me."  
  
"Oh, Hermione, it's no problem," Hannah reassured me. I didn't know whether I wanted to cry or to laugh.  
Draco's POV  
  
"I'm so relieved!" Hermione exclaimed, flopping backwards onto my bed. It was about 11:30, and we'd just returned from doing homework in the common room. I pulled the char from my desk up to the edge of the bed and sat down. "Have I ever told you I like your room?" she asked, yawning, looking around.  
  
I laughed. "Even with this color scheme?"  
  
She sat up and smiled. "Well, that could use some adjusting, you know." And with that, she pulled out her wand and, before I could stop her, muttered a spell. I hadn't heard it before, but immediately saw it's effects. Right in front of my eyes, my room began to change color. The black slowly faded into a dark maroon, and the green began to sparkle gold.  
  
I gaped at her, disbelieving. "Change it back!" I demanded, laughing. She stuck out her tongue at me, and got up off my bed and, after flashing me a brilliant smile, went to the door.  
  
"Goodnight," she said, closing the door softly behind her. I shook my head, staring at the back of my closed door. Some people may have thought it wasn't possible for me to ever care for another person, let alone a muggle-born Gryffindor. But I did, I cared so much that it almost scared me.  
  
A knock on my Slytherin common room portrait brought me back to reality. Wondering who it could be, I went to open it. On the other side, I saw Crabbe. Thinking that I wouldn't have any objections to having him in my room, he pushed open the door the rest of the way, and walked in.  
  
"Hey!" I exclaimed. "What are you doing?"  
  
"I just wanted to see how you were getting along over here, with all these goody-two-shoes." As if just seeming to notice something wrong, his giant eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Draco, what's with the color change?" he asked gruffly.  
  
My mind raced. 'Oh god, what do I say?' I thought frantically. I hoped my panic didn't show in my face, and I tried to keep my cool. "Oh, He-Granger, did it." I said in what I hoped was a casual voice.  
  
Crabbe's expression slowly changed from confused to a sly one. "Draco, you bedded a Gryffindor? Hahahaha," he guffawed. I was shocked, but tried not to show it.  
  
"Uh... yeah..." I didn't see any choice but to agree with him. It wasn't as if I had said it, he just assumed. 'Please forgive me, Hermione,' I silently pleaded.  
  
Crabbe was still chuckling. "I'm sure your father will be pleased. Shall I tell him at the next meeting, or do you want it to be a surprise, after you've slept with the entire house?"  
  
"Um, no, don't tell him, I'll, uh, surprise him later. Yeah." I mentally cringed.  
  
"Alright, well I guess I'll leave you alone then, huh?" And with that he left, leaving the portrait wide open. I rushed to close it before I had any more unpleasant encounters, and waited until it was safely secured and I was leaning against the back of it before expressing my disgust. 'How could he think that?' I thought frantically. 'It's just wrong!'  
  
'Well,' I continued my thoughts as I pulled my shirt over my head and changed into a pair of long black pajama pants. 'At least it was only Crabbe. He'll almost definitely forget this ever happened by morning.'  
  
My last thoughts before I fell asleep were of Hermione.  
  
A/N: So, what did you think? I want constructive criticism in reviews, please, not just people telling me to keep writing! I'm not complaining in the slightest, but I'd really appreciate it if you had any suggestions or anything if you put it in a review or email it to me. Thanks!! 


	27. Reservations and A Letter

Disclaimer: Me no own, you no sue.  
  
Changing Chapter 27  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
The days came and went, and I continued keeping up with my schoolwork and seeing Draco in secret, although we could now be open with each other in the common room, since Hannah and Terry thought we made a very cute couple and swore not to spill about our relationship. Before I knew it, the snow began to melt, and it was the middle of March. The four of us prefects sat around the common room one night, in the two couches in the middle of the room, which happened to be Draco's and Hannah's.  
  
"Okay, we have the groups made up," I announced, setting aside parchments tied together in a bundle with string around them as Draco ticked it off on his finger, only somewhat mockingly. "We have where each year is going to be going to." Another stack made it's own pile on the floor in front of the couch as I plopped it down. "And we have made up a list of places that each year needs to visit to get credit. The only thing we have left to do is make arrangements for hotels, and that sort of thing." I sighed. "The hard part."  
  
"Alright," Terry suggested. "Do you think we should split up again, to get it done faster?"  
  
"Sounds good, you and Hannah can handle everything for third and fourth year, and Draco and I can handle fifth, sixth, and seventh. You can help if you finish before us." Hannah and Terry nodded, and went up to their rooms to start planning things.  
  
"So, I guess we can't call for reservations at this hour," Draco sighed, putting his arm around my shoulders and pulling me with him to lean against the back of his couch.  
  
I glanced at him quickly, surprised that he knew anything about the Muggle world. He caught my look, and laughed. "I've had my share of Muggle experiences." Seeing my look of disbelief, he continued. "It got pretty boring up at the Manor, all by myself, so I take little vacations sometimes."  
  
A picture popped into my head of Draco lounging in a blown-up tube in a pool, sipping from a plastic cup with a little pink umbrella. Before I could stop myself, I broke into a smile and failed in suppressing a giggle. Draco persisted on knowing what was so funny. "Oh, it's nothing!" I insisted, waving a hand to dismiss him.  
  
"Anyway," he continued. "We need to start thinking up a list of places we could stay, ways of transportation, and stuff like that, and then we can make reservations later. Sound good?"  
  
"Sure." I started to get up to get a piece of parchment and a quill, but he tightened his grip around my shoulders.  
  
"Wait," he asked. "Just sit with me for awhile, okay?"  
  
"Yeah, sure," I said anxiously. "Draco, what's wrong?" I hadn't noticed anything earlier, around the others, but when they left he let his shields down, and I could sense something behind his eyes.  
  
"I got another owl today, from my father."  
  
"Draco!" I exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me before?"  
  
"I just got it before I came down here to plan this," he told me. "Besides, I didn't want to worry you. And I still don't want to. Hermione," he said, seeing the fear in my eyes. I wished I could hide my feelings as well as he could. "What's going on is between me and him, do you understand? I won't let him hurt you. I swear, I'm trying to keep you out of this, okay?"  
  
I gave him a small smile. "I know, Draco. I know. Just don't worry about me, alright?"  
  
"I can't help it." He looked down at his lap.  
  
"Your father doesn't even know about us yet, and that's how I intend on keeping it for a long time, okay? As long as he doesn't know about us, do you think he'd really try to do anything to me? I mean, why would he pick me, Hermione Granger, out of a million others just like me?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess you're right... he has no reason to pick you out, as long as he doesn't know about us."  
  
"See? So what did the letter say, anyway?" As far as I could remember, it was the first letter he had gotten since that one in December telling him he was disappointed he hadn't gone to the deatheater meeting. The last letter since Lucius had cursed Draco's broom and sent him to the hospital wing.  
  
He sighed again. "He said that I was a coward for not coming to the meeting in December and facing my destiny. And he said there was another meeting coming up that he wanted me to go to, when we'll be on our trip. At least he won't be able to do anything to me there."  
  
I leaned back against the couch and let my head rest on Draco's shoulder, hoping with everything in me that he was right.  
A/N: Sorry it's so short, but I'm trying to get to the class trip, and next chapter is when they'll hopefully be leaving. Please review, I LOVED all the constructive criticism, PLEASE keep it coming it helps TONS. Thanks! 


	28. Bahamas At Last

Disclaimer: JKR owns it, why can't you get that through your thick skull???!!!!?? Let's see, MINE: the plot, this computer, my dog Tuffy, my stuffed teddy bear. NOT MINE: Josh Hartnett (or Pearl Harbor), a million dollars, the Harry Potter characters plots and settings, and a whole lot more stuff.  
  
Chapter 28  
  
Draco's POV  
  
I sagged in my chair in DADA, the last class of the last day before third year and up got to leave for their class trip. Only about a quarter of my mind was listening to Professor Hayes drone on and on, while the rest of my brain was daydreaming about going to Nassau for the fifth year trip.  
  
We would fly to Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, and we would be staying at a famous hotel, Atlantis. We would spend a month there, with a few assignments to do, but when we got them done we had the time to ourselves to do whatever we pleased. I smiled at the thought of lounging under an umbrella, watching bikini-clad girls on the beach. But not just any bikini-clad girls... Hermione would be there. I just hoped we could somehow find somewhere private to hang out, somewhere where we couldn't be found by anyone who would spill our secret.  
  
I sighed. It really was getting harder to hide from people. Just the other day Hermione and I had been carelessly holding hands in the hall, walking together, and luckily we heard footsteps and had enough time to spring apart before Blaise, from Slytherin, rounded the corner.  
  
I was suddenly brought out of my dreaming by the sound of many books slapping shut, and tuned in just in time to hear Professor Hayes dismiss the class. I stuffed a few pieces of parchment into my textbook and gathered my things in my arms before heading back to my room to pack.  
Still Draco's POV  
  
"Hand me those sunglasses on the desk over there, will you?"  
  
I was had been done packing for about an hour, and I was now sitting in Hermione's window, watching and helping her pack her stuff. Thank Merlin for shrinking spells, because we had to be able to bring our one suitcase on the airplane as a carry-on, and all of the girl's stuff never would have fit in the bag if it couldn't be shrunk. I had simply picked out some Muggle clothes and stuffed them in a small duffle bag, but I guess I had temporarily forgotten how picky girls were about this kind of thing.  
  
"Okay. Now, am I forgetting anything?" She placed her hands on her hips and gave the room a check.  
  
"I think you have everything you need," I laughed. "Oh, wait! Did you remember to pack the kitchen sink?" She stuck her tongue out at me and I smirked.  
  
"Oh!" she exclaimed, walking over to her bookshelf and grabbing a paperback. "See? If I hadn't done that last sweep of the room I would've forgotten it!" I examined the book she had in her hand before she stuffed it in the suitcase. It was Hogwarts: A History.  
  
"If you don't hurry we're going to miss the train," I pointed out. She looked up at the clock and gasped, then started struggling to zip up her duffle. "Here," I offered. "You sit on it, and I'll zip it up." She did, and we succeeded in closing it without breaking the zipper, which surprised me.  
  
"Hurry, Draco! Go get your stuff, we gotta go!" I rolled my eyes and slung my bag over my shoulder. I had been done an hour ago and was waiting for her, and she was telling me to hurry up. Girls.  
  
I caught her arm before she hurried down the stairs, and stopped her. Smiling, I pushed her up against the wall and kissed her deeply.  
  
"What was that for?" she asked breathlessly when I released her.  
  
"Oh, nothing. I just might not get the chance to do that again for a while. We're in a group with Hannah and Terry, sure, but there still might be other groups around." I grinned.  
  
"Alright. But let's go now, because I'm really worried we're gonna miss the train. And I don't want to miss the trip to the Bahamas."  
Hermione's POV  
  
"Can you believe we're going to the Bahamas?" Harry, Ginny, Ron, Lavender, and I were in our own compartment on the Hogwarts Express, talking about how excited we were and what we were going to do when we got there.  
  
"I can't wait to hit the beach!" Lavender exclaimed.  
  
"Yeah, I really wanna see all the fish. I hear our hotel has a really big aquarium, right Mione?" When Ginny didn't get an answer, she pressed further. "Hermione?"  
  
"Hmm? I'm sorry, what did you say?" I had been completely zoned out, staring out the window as the landscape slipped slowly past. I was just as anxious as the others to get to Nassau, and I hoped Draco and I would get some time alone.  
  
Ginny laughed. "Oh, never mind. You can just go back to daydreaming about guys on the beach."  
  
I laughed with her, but Ginny didn't know how right she was.  
The lady at the boarding check-in counter brought the speaker to her mouth. "We will now begin boarding our first class passengers."  
  
I nudged Draco with my shoulder and picked up my bag. "That's us," I alerted him.  
  
Much to my delight, us prefects were on our own plane, and Draco and I shared the back row. Hannah and Terry were seated two rows up and across the aisle from us. After stuffing my bag in the overhead bin, I sat down, claiming the window seat. After stowing his own stuff, Draco sat down, occupying the other seat.  
  
I tucked Hogwarts: A History, spelled to look like a romance novel, in the pocket on the seat in front of me. I had grabbed it out of my bag just in case, but I doubted I would read it; they were showing Pearl Harbor as an in-flight movie.  
  
After watching the flight attendants go through the safety procedures, we finally rolled onto the runway. As we were taking off, I glanced over at Draco, and noticed that he was gripping the arms of his seat. He caught my glance, and gave a grim smile. "I hate flying," he confided.  
  
I giggled. "Oh, come on, it's not that bad."  
  
"I don't see why we couldn't just Apparate there," he grumbled.  
  
"Part of the point of this trip is to get used to the Muggle world. And flying is part of the Muggle experience, so get used to it." Draco's only response was to lean his head against the backrest and close his eyes.  
  
Almost four hours later, I was wiping tears from my eyes as Pearl Harbor ended.  
  
-'You can't die, Danny. Do you know why? You're gonna be a father! You're gonna be a father, Danny!  
  
'No. You are.'-  
  
Draco had to choose that time to look over at me, and he gave me a teasing smile. I sniffled and wiped my eyes, sticking my tongue out at him. He grinned.  
I stepped right onto the runway from the plane, and could immediately tell that I was in the Bahamas. It was so much different from Hogwarts. It was prettier, sunnier, more humid, and a lot warmer. I walked over to the others, who were standing a ways away, Draco following me.  
  
"When do the others get here?" Hannah asked.  
  
"Not for about three hours. They had a lay-over."  
  
"Alright!" Terry yelled. "Let's go drop our stuff, then hit the beach!"  
  
"It's not that easy, Terry." He was a pure wizard, and I guess he didn't know how to check in to a hotel. "We have to check in at the desk first, and I'm in charge of checking EVERYONE in."  
  
"Okay then, let's get going." Draco swung his bag over his right shoulder, and draped mine on his left, which made him stumble slightly to the left with the unexpected weight. "Hermione," he cried, adjusting the shoulder strap, "exactly how much stuff do you have in here?"  
  
I giggled. "Oh, you know. Just the essentials."  
  
He rolled his eyes and hoisted it up again, without complaint. "Come on," I said, skipping up beside him and grabbing his hand. "Let's do this as quick as possible, then go see the beach."  
A/N: That's all for now, hopefully a new chapter really soon. Drop me a review and let me know what you think. Thanks! 


	29. Settling In

Disclaimer: I don't own it, JKR and her publishing people do, so don't sue me.  
Chapter 29  
  
Draco's POV  
  
The hotel was amazing. When we walked into the lobby to check in, I was surprised at how grand it was. The service was great, too; it took only thirty minutes to check everyone in, and we had special arrangements, so there weren't any problems brought up by Hermione checking into the rooms for all 25 groups.  
  
We left the keys at the desk for the students to get on their own when they arrived, because we may not get a chance to see them later, and after that day all the groups were going to be split up on their own to do their activities for school credit. The four of us were given two keys, and we brought our own luggage up to see our room.  
  
Following Dumbledore's orders, we had booked nothing but the best for all of the years. Each group of fifth years had a two-bedroom suite, with a living room to separate them.  
  
As Terry opened the door, we came into the living area from the hall. There was a large couch, a big, comfortable-looking chair with a footrest, a recliner, a small desk, and a table with four wooden chairs. There was also a coffee table in front of the couch, a large television with a VCR, a microwave, and a small refrigerator. There was, of course, also a mini bar.  
  
"This is so cool!" Hannah exclaimed, pushing past Terry to flop onto the couch. She used the remote control to switch on the tv, and an informational show about Atlantis and the island of Nassau came on. I looked to Terry to see his reaction, but apparently he had seen tv before, because he was un-phased.  
  
"Oh my gosh!" Hermione gasped. "A tv!"  
  
I dropped mine and Mione's bags behind the arm chair and went to explore. The living room had a balcony with two lawn chairs, overlooking the beach. I slid the door open and was greeted by the smell of sea water. I watched people running or lounging on the soft white sand, the waves lapping softly at the shore.  
  
I'd been to Florida and to the Gulf of Mexico, but nowhere had I seen waters like these. They were such a clear blue that it looked like glass. There were even tinges of green, making the water look turquoise in certain spots.  
  
I stood there for a while, enjoying the feel of the slight breeze. I jumped slightly, startled, as I felt Hermione come up behind me and snake her arms around me.  
  
"Hannah and Terry just left to go down to the beach, do you want to go?"  
  
I turned and saw that she was already wearing her swimming suit and a pair of denim shorts. "Sure," I replied. "Just let me go change, I'll be right back. Don't leave without me," I warned, grabbing my bag and disappearing into the bathroom.  
Mione's POV  
  
I tried not to stare when Draco came out of the bathroom, but from the sideways glance he shot me, I think he caught me. He looked spectacular in black swimming trunks, which made a sharp contrast to his pale skin and blond hair. 'He has killer abs,' I noted, before he pulled a gray t-shirt over his head.  
  
"Ready?" I nodded to him and we each grabbed a towel before heading down to the beach.  
  
We found Hannah and Terry, and laid our towels next to theirs, staking our claim. They shared their sunscreen, which Draco and I hadn't remembered, and I was glad they had, because without it I burn badly.  
  
The beach wasn't very crowded, and there were barely any people in the water. I turned in time to see Draco, standing in waist-deep water, submerge and resurface, shaking his head and sending water droplets from his hair flying everywhere.  
  
"Mione!" he called. "Please tell me you're not gonna do the girlie thing and just lay on the beach all day!"  
  
I laughed. I did like laying around and getting a tan, but after awhile it got boring, and I enjoyed hanging out and having fun. I dropped my shorts and shoes on my beach towel and went out to join him. After the initial getting used to the temperature of the water, I plunged in and waded over to him, grinning, and I playfully splashed a bit of water at him.  
  
He raised an eyebrow at me and smiled, returning the gesture. Soon it was an all-out splash war, and I ended up trying to swim away from him as fast as I could. It was hard, considering I was laughing so hard I could barely breathe, and he finally caught up with me and dunked my head playfully underwater. When I came up, sputtering, I half-glared at him, but he just kept grinning. I pushed my wet hair out of my face and turned onto my back to float, instead of treading water. Draco could still stand on the bottom, but my toes couldn't reach without my head going under.  
  
After half an hour of goofing around in the water with Draco, I decided to go rest on the beach and dry off. I spread out on my towel and began talking to Hannah, who was laying beside me, while Draco and Terry were out swimming in the ocean. As we talked, we saw two guys, about our age, playing Frisbee, and soon they came over to us.  
  
The taller one, who had blond hair and blue eyes and was wearing navy swim trunks, introduced himself first. "Hey," he said, giving me a lazy, lopsided grin. "I'm Tim. Tim Johnson. And this," he said, gesturing toward his friend, "is George." George had light brown hair and dark green eyes, and he smiled shyly at Hannah.  
  
I stood up, not interested in the least in either of the guys, but I wanted to be polite. "Hi. I'm Hermione. And this is my friend, Hannah." Hannah reluctantly stood up, giving a small smile.  
  
"Hermione," Tim repeated. "That's an unusual name." His grin grew wider. "I like it." He tried to put his arm around me, but I moved, crossing my arms over my chest, and hoped he'd take the hint and go away. No such luck.  
  
"So, what brings you two to Nassau?" George asked curiously.  
  
"We're on a school trip," Hannah blurted out. I glanced quickly over at her and she cringed, probably kicking herself mentally.  
  
Both of them looked surprised. "Wow!" Tim exclaimed. "That's so awesome, our school would never do something like that."  
  
"Yeah, well, um..." Hannah's attempt at recovering wasn't going well.  
  
"We go to a private school, in London." It wasn't entirely a lie, was it?  
  
"Oh, that's pretty cool," George said.  
  
"Yeah," Tim agreed. "We go to a public school in America, and it sucks." He made a face, and George laughed, agreeing with him.  
  
"So," Tim began, trying to move close to me again. "Do you have a boyfriend?" He grinned, his eyes twinkling, as he put his arm around my shoulders. I shrugged him off and moved away again, but he didn't give up easily.  
Draco's POV  
  
I was just swimming back to shore from a little ways out, scanning the beach for Hermione to know how far I had drifted from our spot, when I saw her with some blond guy. He had his arm around her, and I saw her slip out and move away, but he kept pursuing her. Anger welled inside me, and I sped up to get the shore and help her out.  
  
I stepped out of the clear water and the fine sand stuck as if glued to my feet, but I didn't care. I stepped carefully around towels and little kids' sand castles and made my way over to Hermione. Terry was coming out of the water, too, and was right behind me.  
  
"Mione!" I called out. She looked over and saw me, and relief flooded over her features. The blond guy had just put his arm around her again.  
  
"Draco!" she greeted me. I walked over and smiled warmly at her, then turned to glare coldly at the guy. I was a good two inches taller than him, and was more muscled. His eyes widened and he immediately snatched up his arm and backed away from Hermione.  
  
I grinned devishly, and, mostly to piss off and embarrass the other guy, I went up to Hermione and put my arms around her. She was smiling and nodded ever so slightly, so I brought my lips to hers and kissed her deeply. When I released her, she was still grinning. I turned to the guy and extended my hand. "I'm Draco Malfoy."  
  
"Tim, this is Draco, my boyfriend. Draco, this is Tim."  
  
The guy, Tim, hastily made up an excuse and left, along with his buddy who had been not so pesky, but also bothering Hannah a bit. When they were out of earshot, Hermione started laughing, and couldn't stop. I laughed with her a bit, and when she finally got control of herself, she thanked me. "Merlin, he just couldn't take a hint! I didn't want to be rude, but sheesh!"  
  
"Okay, guys, the others arrive here in about fifteen minutes," Terry, who had a waterproof watch, informed us.  
  
"Oh! Alright, let's go back up to our room and change, then we can go meet them in the lobby as they come." We didn't really want to attract too much attention to ourselves, so we had arranged for everyone to come inside with the people in their group, with about five or ten minute intervals. It was also so things could go a bit quicker and the hotel workers didn't get overwhelmed.  
  
"Let us go run off to meet them," Draco sighed, taking my hand in his as we finished gathering our stuff. I smiled apologetically and squeezed his hand, and we walked together back up to the hotel.  
A/N: Okay, so that was about the lamest ending ever, I'm sorry. But hey, I got the chapter done, right?? Hehe. Yeah, so review and tell me what you think. I'm really sorry there hasn't been any action in FOREVER, I just don't know what to do!! I'm planning a very action-packed end to the story, but I don't know when that will be, probably a long time because I thought about it, and I want the story to go through seventh year. Just hang with me, and I hope you don't mind if I kind of rush through each school year a little. 


	30. Trouble in Paradise

Disclaimer: How dense can you get? I'm telling ya, the only stuff I own is the plot, the title, and... that's it!! I don't even own any of the songs I might put in here, or the Atlantis Resort on Nassau. All the characters and settings and stuff you recognize belong to JK Rowling.  
  
A/N: Nothing much new to say, I hope you're enjoying the story so far, please review or email me if you have any suggestions, or ideas, or even flames, I'll listen no matter what it is. : D Oh! COULD SOMEONE PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME HOW TO DO BOLDS AND ITALICS AND STUFF?? THANKS!! And for the people asking for fluff, there'll be some in this chapter, but I also hope to make it a little bit exciting, too. ; )  
Chapter 30  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
"Mione!" I turned to see Ginny and Lavender waving enthusiastically as they came in the doors to the Lobby. They were the last group to arrive, and I was glad, since I could leave to hang out with them instead of waiting for more students.  
  
"Ginny, Lavender!" I exclaimed, temporarily ignoring Ron and Harry, who were carrying their bags. "You guys look great!"  
  
I love everything about the wizarding world, but I sometimes I can't help but miss some of the Muggle things, and one of those things are clothes. It was a nice hotel, so I had chosen a tube-top, knee-length dress with pink Hawaiian flower print. Ginny was wearing a short, blue spaghetti strap dress, and it matched her eyes beautifully. Lavender chose a denim mini-skirt with an off the shoulder top.  
  
After greeting Harry and Ron, who were wearing the type of clothes any normal Muggle guy would wear, we went up to the desk to get their room keys. I went with them up to their room, and watched as they exclaimed over it as we had.  
  
"Oh, man!" I heard a shout from one of the bedrooms, and Harry came running out. "There's an awesome stereo system in there!"  
  
I laughed. It was strange, but I never really talked to anyone about Muggle things. This trip would be interesting, that's for sure.  
  
I was sitting on the arm of the couch when all the sudden, music started blaring from the room. I recognized it as Good Charlotte, and I grinned. They were one of my favorite groups. I began singing along, and Lavender and Harry came out of their rooms and we were all laughing and singing together. It was fun to be able to connect with them on a Muggle thing, since normally my Muggle life, at home, was separate from my school life in the wizard world.  
  
It was then that Ginny and Ron came out and gave us some strange looks. This just caused me to laugh harder, and it was a while before I had control again. Ginny winced. "What is that?" she yelled over the music, bringing her hands to her ears.  
  
"Muggle thing," I stated, at the same time as Harry and Lavender. I grinned. "Harry, you really should turn it down, they're going to arrest us for disturbing the peace!"  
  
He grinned slyly and pulled his wand out from one of the many pockets in his cargo shorts. "What fun would it be to be a wizard if not for little things like silencing charms?" I smiled and rolled my eyes, while he went to turn it down anyway, for Ginny's sake.  
  
After exploring their rooms, they decided to go down to the beach. "Hermione, you wanna come?" Ron asked.  
  
"No thanks. I was down there already before everyone got here. See you guys later, though!" They grabbed their towels, shouted goodbye, and they went one way down the hall while I went the other. When I got back to my room, I realized I didn't have a key. I knocked at the door, hoping someone was there.  
  
I smiled at Draco when he opened the door. "Hi," I said, kissing him lightly once the door was closed. I saw that the tv was on, but the living room was deserted. "Where're Terry and Hannah?"  
  
"Went to explore a little," he replied. "Did you want to go anywhere?"  
  
"No," I decided. I definitely wanted to explore all of the shops and the hotel at some point in the next three weeks, but the idea of just lounging around, alone with Draco, was sounding better and better.  
  
"Good." He grinned, snaking his strong arms around my waist, and pulled me with him as he flopped backwards onto the couch. "Me neither."  
After a couple hours of watching tv with Draco, a knock came on the door. With the knowledge that Terry had a key and it must be someone else, we sprang apart. Draco got up to sit in the one-person recliner, and I paused to smooth out my dress before answering.  
  
"Hey, Mione!" Harry greeted energetically. I smiled at him. "Do you want to go down to the beach to eat dinner with us? And Lavender and Ginny, too," he added.  
  
"Umm, yeah, sure, guys." I could feel Draco's stare boring a hole in my back, and knew my body was blocking him from view from the hallway. "I'll meet you in the lobby in about 15 minutes, okay?"  
  
"Yeah, sure, Hermione, meet you there," Ron replied, before they turned and retreated down the hallway. I shut the door carefully, hearing it softly click. I turned back and walked over to sit on the arm of Draco's chair.  
  
"I'm gonna go down to the beach for dinner with Ron and Harry," I told him.  
  
He looked up at me and smirked, but not the usual 'I'm-a-Malfoy-and- so-much-better-than-you' smirk. This smirk seemed to be specially reserved for me, and was more playful than anything. "Goodbye kiss?" he whispered softly, before cutting off my answer by pressing his lips to mine. He was quick to deepen it, opening my lips with his tongue and sliding it into my mouth. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me onto his chair so I was sitting on his lap.  
  
We broke apart for air, and Draco started placing a trail of kisses down my jaw until he got to my neck. I giggled, and ran my hands through his hair, then down his sides and up his firm chest. Draco soon returned to my mouth, and we kissed for a while more before I remembered the time. "Mmm, Draco," I whispered, softly pushing him away. "I have to go." I kissed him softly once more before he released me, allowing me to get up.  
  
I went into the room I was sharing with Hannah, and sorted through my clothes, looking for a nice yet casual outfit for dinner. I finally decided on a pink and blue diamond-checkered mini-skirt and a baby blue halter-top. I brushed my hair back, letting it flow down my back in a few loose curls, and applied a small amount of makeup. I took a last glance at the mirror and was about to leave when I noticed the dark spot on my neck, and peered closer at the mirror. 'Oh, damn,' I thought. I sorted through my makeup bag for my cover-up and applied it on my neck, making sure that the mark was no longer visible.  
  
I knew that Draco was aware of the mark he'd given me, so before leaving to meet Harry and Ron, I stuck my tongue at him. His only response was to smirk, and I gave a little wave before heading down to the lobby.  
"Hi guys, I'm so sorry I'm late, I couldn't find my shoes!" I gave the four students my made-up excuse when I saw them waiting by the stairs in the lobby.  
  
"No sweat, Mione," Ron replied good-naturedly. I smiled at them and we walked together out to the beach and sat down at a small glass table with an umbrella and six chairs. A cute waiter handed us our menus, told us about the specials of the day, and left us to decide on what to order.  
  
"Oooh," Lavender exclaimed. "Everything looks so good!"  
  
"It's so expensive!" Ginny noted.  
  
I had the answer to that dilemma. "Oh, don't worry a thing about that. Charge everything to your room, and Dumbledore said everything would be taken care of."  
  
"Wow." Harry smiled. "Does that mean we can order movies and stuff on the tv, too?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess so."  
  
The waitress came back for our drink orders, and when she came back we all finally figured out what we wanted. None of us could really decide, so we decided to order four meals and share between all of us.  
  
We were finishing our dinner and talking when suddenly I spotted a blond head walking toward our table. And it wasn't Draco.  
  
"Hey, Hermione!" Tim called. He came over and stood next to me.  
  
I forced a polite smile. "Hi, Tim. Guys, this is Tim, I met him on the beach this afternoon. Tim, this is Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Lavender." Tim smiled at all of them, and then looked at me expectantly. "Um, you can, you know, sit, if you want..." He didn't need to be asked twice, and Tim sat down and my friends began to talk to him politely, asking him about himself.  
  
We all stood up and began walking back to the hotel, Harry and Ginny and Ron and Lavender hand in hand. We stopped at the door to say goodbye to Tim.  
  
"Oh, by the way, Hermione, where's your boyfriend? Say hi to him for me, will you?"  
  
My eyes widened and I snapped my head up to see my friends' reaction.  
A/N: Dundundun... What's gonna happen next?? I wonder!!? Hehe. I'll update soon. Please review and let me know what you think!  
  
P.S. I've been to Nassau, but I've never stayed at Atlantis, so excuse me if the details aren't correct. If anyone has ever stayed there, would anyone be interested in helping me, and maybe telling me the details and stuff? Email me or just leave it in the review! 


	31. And It All Comes Out

Disclaimer: I don't own it, JKR does.  
  
A/N: Let's just get to the story.  
Chapter 31  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
My breath caught in my throat, and I hoped against hope that Harry and Ron hadn't heard what Tim had just let slip. But when everyone sharply turned their heads and looked at me, I knew they hadn't missed it.  
  
The only expression on any of their faces was confusion, at first. "Hermione? What's he talking about?" Ron asked.  
  
Lavender smiled slyly. "Mione, did you go meeting a guy on the beach today?"  
  
"No," Tim broke in. "It sure wasn't someone she just met today!" 'Couldn't he just take a hint and shut the hell up??' I wanted nothing more than to punch his face in at that moment.  
  
All four of them now had their gazes glued to me, and I could feel the color rising in my cheeks, both of embarrassment and anger. "Mione?" Harry asked, somewhat nervously. "Why didn't you tell us you had a boyfriend?" I didn't answer, so he pressed on. "Who is it?"  
  
My brain was frozen. 'Oh no, what do I do? If they found out, and it somehow got back to Draco's father...' Seeing no response coming anytime soon from me, they turned to Tim. "What did he look like?" Ron inquired. This got caught my attention, and I snapped my head up again to stare at Tim with wide eyes, trying to send him a signal to stop talking.  
  
Obviously, Tim was much denser than I'd thought. "He was a tall guy, really light blond hair, gray eyes, really pale. I was talking to Hermione, and I guess I didn't know she was with someone, and he came up and kissed her." Tim seemed to notice that all my friends were now ignoring him and their full attention was on me once again.  
  
"Hermione." I could tell that Ron was trying to remain calm, and he even spoke in an almost pleasant tone, but his face was flaming red. "Who is he talking about?" I looked up and met Ron's eyes for a moment, then broke my gaze away.  
  
Ginny's eyes were wide. "It can't be... Mione... is he talking about... MALFOY?"  
  
I didn't know what to do. I kept my eyes fixed on the ground, pretending to study the cobblestone floor. 'What am I supposed to say?' I thought frantically. 'Do I lie, and deny it? Do I spill the whole thing, tell them everything?'  
  
Unable to decide, I did the only thing I could think of. "I-I'm sorry, I have to go," I stammered quickly. I hurried across the lobby and took the stairs back up to my room.  
  
I practically ran down the hall, and opened my door using the key I had thoughtfully brought along. I stepped inside and gently turned and shut the door, and locked it. Turning around, I closed my eyes and sagged against the back of the door.  
  
At first I hadn't thought anyone was there, but Draco's voice broke into my thoughts. "Mione, is that you?"  
  
"Yeah." My voice cracked, and Draco caught it.  
  
He rose from his spot on the couch and came over to me, concern etched across his features. "Hermione? What's wrong?"  
  
I looked up at him with tears in my eyes, and he pulled me into a hug before guiding me over to sit down while I spilled the whole story of what happened a few moments earlier with Tim and my friends.  
  
I blinked back the unwanted tears as I finished talking. "They know, Draco, I'm sure they do." He pulled me closer to him, and I rested my head on his shoulder. "What do I tell them? What are we going to do?"  
  
"I don't know," he sighed. "You said yourself they already know, so I guess we can't hide it. You should tell them, come clean, and explain why it's so important that they don't tell anybody."  
  
"I'm scared, Draco. What if they hate me?"  
  
"They won't. And if they do, they shouldn't be able to call themselves your friends anyway." With that, he kissed my forehead and shifted so he was looking me in the eye. "Do you want me to stay here?"  
  
"No," I decided. "I can do it."  
  
"I know you can."  
I took a long, hot shower before I was going to go talk to Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Lavender. I pulled on a pair of shorts and a white spaghetti strap, and was brushing my dried hair when a knock came on the door. Hannah and Terry had come back earlier and told us that they were going to be out a little longer, wading in the ocean, and Draco had left after I got out of the shower and told me he would be back in an hour and a half.  
  
I put down the brush and slowly went to open the door, revealing Lavender and Ginny in the hallway. I had gone over what I would say at least a thousand times in my head, but I was so nervous. I gave them a small smile and opened the door wider for them to come in, and I sat in the armchair, facing them, while they took a seat on the couch.  
  
I took a deep breath and began my little speech I had planned. "Okay, let me just start off by saying-" I was unexpectedly cut off by Lavender.  
  
"No, Hermione. There's no need." My heart skipped a beat and I thought that they were going to disown me as a friend right then and there, but she continued. "We've thought about it," she said, indicating herself and Ginny, "and we want you to have whatever makes you happy. If that happens to be Malfoy, then it's okay by us."  
  
I could hardly believe my ears, but Ginny was continuing. "Yeah, Mione. I'm sorry about before, I was just sort of shocked, you know? It would be like if you found out I was dating Crabbe or Goyle or someone." She gave a little laugh. "But I think it's great that you found someone you obviously really like, and if you're happy, we're happy."  
  
Tears were welling up in my eyes for the second time that day, but these were tears of joy. "Oh, you guys, thank you so much. You have no idea what this means to me." I hugged each of them, and managed to hold in my tears. I smiled.  
  
I didn't really want to know the answer, but I had to ask anyway. "What about Harry and Ron?"  
  
Ginny and Lavender looked at each other nervously. "Well, they... they don't quite understand." I tried not to be too crestfallen. I knew it was too good to be true that everyone could just get along and be fine with it. I would talk to Harry and Ron later, I decided.  
  
"Guys, listen," I said, bringing up the next point. "You can't tell anyone about me and Draco, alright?"  
  
They looked slightly confused. "Why not?" Ginny asked curiously.  
  
"Well, I'm a Mudblood, that's why." It was obviously still not making sense to them. I sighed. "Draco's fine with my background, and he loves me even though I'm not a pureblood, but if his father ever found out that his son was dating a Muggle-born, he would flip." I purposely left out all the letters Draco had received, and how he was supposed to be Voldemort's heir. "He would probably kill me, and disown Draco if not kill him also."  
  
Their eyes widened, and I knew I'd gotten my point across. "Okay, Mione," Lavender agreed. "We won't tell anyone. Promise."  
  
"Yeah, I promise too," Ginny added.  
  
They got up to leave, and I gave them one last hug before they left for their own rooms. "Thanks, you guys. It means so much to me to know that you're okay with this. It's so awesome not to have to hide it from you anymore."  
A/N: Okay, so that was a lame ending, I just wanted to get this posted because I know I left it at a little bit of a cliffhanger last chapter, so be grateful. : D  
  
GUYS!!!! WHAT'S UP???? I HAVE BEEN GETTING LIKE NO REVIEWS LATELY!!!! I need some more reviews, people, or I'll stop posting if I think no one's reading this, so please drop me some reviews on your way out!! Thanx. 


	32. Making Fun and Making Out

Disclaimer: Come on guys, did I seriously have you fooled?? Did you actually think I owned this?? I don't, JKR does, so there's no point in suing or anything, because I have no money. I also have no affiliation with MTV or the show Fraternity Life, other than I watch it. Thanx!!  
  
A/N: I got a few reviews for the last chapter, and I was VERY APPRECIATIVE, and special thanks go out to Alexa, who told me how to do bold and italics!! THANKS!!  
  
I PASSED 400 REVIEWS!!!!!!! WOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!!! Okay, and some people were reviewing with requests for fluff, so I tried to put some in here, but I'm not very good at writing it, sorry.  
  
Chapter 32  
  
Hermione's POV (sorry, I know it's been awhile since you've heard from Draco)  
  
I awoke the next day in very high spirits, and it wasn't until I was halfway through taking a shower when I remembered that I still had to talk to Harry and Ron about what happened last night. It damped my spirits some, but for the most part I was really happy. I was excited, because it was the first day we would be going around to explore in our groups, and we would start working on our assignments.  
  
The teachers had each given us a few different places to visit while we were here, and it would count for a grade in their class. We would visit the place, observe, and come back and write a paper on it. We had a few of those, but they wouldn't take long, and I, for one, planned to fully enjoy my visit and not get too hung up on school.  
  
I dried off with one of the hotel's fluffy white bath towels and wrapped it around me to head back to my room to pick an outfit. The weather report had shown that it would be almost 90 degrees today, so I chose a pair of short blue-jean shorts and a dark blue halter-top that showed just the tiniest amount of skin at my belly, but not enough to be distasteful. I picked out a light blue bellybutton ring with a blue butterfly. I carried my clothes back into the bathroom to dress, and I put in my bellybutton ring, a pair of matching earrings, picked out a sapphire ring, and fastened a silver chain with a small heart with a sapphire around my neck. I dried my hair, combed through it so that it was straight with a few loose curls flowing down my back, and applied a small amount of silvery blue eye shadow.  
  
Taking a final glance-over in the mirror, I was somewhat surprised that I was pleased with my reflection. On a whim, I pulled some light pink glossy lip shine from my cosmetic bag and swiped it across my lips before slipping it into my pocket.  
  
I came out into the living area to find Hannah, who had already finished in our bathroom, and Terry sitting on the couch watching MTV. I saw the show that was on and laughed, wondering how Hannah had explained to Terry what a fraternity was. "Morning guys," I greeted, plopping into the chair with my legs hanging over one of the arms.  
  
"Morning," Terry replied unenthusiastically, his gaze glued to the television where two guys were jet-skiing.  
  
"Hey Hermione, you look great!" Hannah smiled. She was wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a pink spaghetti strap.  
  
"Thanks, Hannah, so do you. Is Draco coming? I'm starving."  
  
"Should be out any minute," Terry replied mechanically, still watching Fraternity Life. No sooner had he spoken than Draco strolled in from the room he shared with Terry, wearing black cargo pants, a gray t- shirt, and with his hair spiked up the way I liked it. He smiled at me and took in my appearance, and I smiled back.  
  
"Anyone up for breakfast?" he called. I jumped up off the chair, eager to get some food, and went to slip on a pair of cute blue flip-flops.  
  
"Come on, Terry," Hannah laughed.  
  
"No, wait, I need to finish this!"  
  
I rolled my eyes. "Grant doesn't make it into the frat, now come on, let's go!" He sighed and stood up, shoving his feet into a pair of tennis shoes before closing the door after him, and we all headed down to breakfast in the hotel.  
  
************************************************************************  
I stuffed the last bite of my bagel into my mouth before throwing away my plate and Draco walked with me to join the others by a pillar near the stairs. "Okay, guys, where to first?" Terry inquired. Hannah and I looked at each other and shrugged.  
  
"Well how about we take a look at the hotel aquariums, to get that assignment out of the way," Draco suggested.  
  
"Sounds good, ready?" Everyone nodded. "Let's go."  
  
We began walking through the aquariums inside the hotel, pointing out different species of fish and continuing to be amazed at how many there were. My favorite fish was a small yellow one with a black stripe down it's middle. We spent about two hours walking slowly around, looking at the fish and chatting. Outside, we saw the shark pool and the stingrays, and Draco and Terry and Hannah each pet them. I'd never been very fond of any kind of fish, so I passed.  
  
"Oh come on Hermione!" Draco teased. "Come pet the ray, it's really sliiimy, and scaaaly..." I crossed my arms across my chest and turned my back to him. "Aw, I was just teasing," he laughed, putting his arm around my shoulders. I stuck my tongue out at him. "Mione, you know I was kidding, right?" he asked, sounding a little concerned.  
  
I turned and smiled at him. "Yeah, I know."  
  
He laughed. "Okay. I think we're done here," he said as Hannah and Terry came up to stand next to us. "Do you guys wanna go to the pool?" We had passed one of the pools on our way around, and it was completely empty. I nodded enthusiastically, ready to get away from the fish.  
  
"I think we'll go back to the beach instead," Hannah told us. "But first let's go change." We all headed back up to our room, and I made a mental note to wear my swimming suit under my clothes next time.  
  
Once in my room, I picked out a different swimming suit than I had worn to the beach. This one was a red bikini with white Hawaiian-style flowers on it, and it brought out the slight shade of red in my auburn hair. I pulled on a pair of white jean shorts over top, grabbed a towel, and headed out to meet the others at the door. "Mione I love your bathing suit!" Hannah exclaimed. She had on a blue tube top for the top piece, and was wearing khaki shorts, and I thanked her and returned the compliment.  
  
We parted in the hallway, Terry and Hannah going right to go to the beach, and Draco and I continuing straight to one of the smaller pools. "We'll see you guys later!" I waved. When we arrived, I happily noted that the pool was still deserted. I was looking forward to some time alone, relaxing, with Draco.  
  
The small pool was almost hidden, surrounded by fake rock. Tall, overhanging trees shaded it from most of the sun. There were a few lounge chairs sitting right beside the pool, and I set my towel on one, sitting down to put on sunblock.  
  
"Mione, I don't see any fish," Draco snickered, standing up. "I think these waters are sting ray-free, you can swim."  
  
I looked up at him with a mischievous glint in my eyes. I stood up, and slowly sauntered over to him. I slipped my arms around his neck, and he raised an eyebrow at me. "Oh, really?" I whispered into his neck, my breath fluttering on his skin. His hands automatically went to my waist, and I shivered as he touched my bare skin.  
  
I slowly trailed small kisses up his neck, pleased with his responsive "Mmmm". When I reached his mouth, he immediately responded, kissing me back with passion. Slowly, my tongue still exploring his mouth, I brought my hands down from his neck and slid them up his stomach and chest on top of his shirt.  
  
Abruptly, I pulled away, and he looked at me in confusion and disappointment. I smiled wickedly, and leaned forward to whisper to him, making sure he felt my hot breath on his skin and my lips brushed his ear. "Don't make fun of me." And with that, I gave him a strong shove, and he fell backwards into the water, t-shirt and all.  
  
I was still laughing when he surfaced, and he half-heartedly glared at me, swimming up to the edge. "Ooooh, you're gonna pay for that, Miss Hermione!" he yelled, grabbing my leg.  
  
I bent down to steady myself, and he caught my arm, pulling me into the water with him, still wearing my shorts. I came up sputtering, and splashed him a little, then began swimming to the shallower part, so I could stand.  
  
Draco, of course, being taller than me, could already touch, and he advanced on me. He quickly caught up, and grabbed my wrist. "I hope you don't think you'll get off that easy." He smiled as I turned to face him, and he slowly turned me so my back was against the side of the pool.  
  
Repeating my actions from earlier, he nuzzled and kissed my neck, making me giggle and try to shrug away from him, but not really wanting him to stop. The side of the pool was digging into my back, but I didn't really care.  
  
We were so caught up that we didn't notice when two people rounded the corner on their way back to the hotel. 


	33. Water Fight, Literally

Disclaimer: I don't own it, JKR does, so just get over me! Haha, j/k.  
  
A/N: Thanks for the reviews last time, and I'm sorry about the slight cliffhanger.  
  
Chapter 33  
  
Draco's POV (about time!)  
  
One of my hands was on Hermione's shoulder, the other was settled on her hip, and my body pinned her against the side of the pool. Suddenly Hermione's breath caught in her throat and I immediately pulled away. Her eyes were wide in shock and I turned around to see Potter and Weasley just turn around the corner, wearing their swimming trunks. I could barely hear Hermione say something under her breath. "Oh my god," she breathed.  
  
I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to see Hermione 'break up' with her best friends. "It'll be okay," I promised softly, for her ears only. "Yo, guys!" I called. "Would you mind leaving us alone? We're sort of busy at the moment."  
  
Hermione scowled at me. "How is that helping?" She swam up to the edge of the pool. "Look, guys," she pleaded. "This isn't what it looks like-"  
  
Harry finally seemed to come out of his stupor. "Oh, really?" he asked incredulously. "Because it looks like you were just making out with our worst enemy!" His green eyes flashed dangerously, and he advanced on her. She backed into the water again, but he followed her.  
  
She tried again, still slowly backing away from him. "Okay so maybe it is what it looks like, but-"  
  
This time it was Ron's turn to interrupt her. "No buts, Hermione!" He was now in the water also, speaking to Hermione, but his eyes were on me.  
  
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Hermione's POV (sorry I tried)  
  
I watched, panicking, as Ron and Harry both turned to advance on Draco. "No! You guys, listen to me, it wasn't what it looked like..." I trailed off as I saw that they weren't listening. Suddenly, Ron yelled and tried to tackle Draco, taking him unaware and pushing him under the water. "Ron, no!" I swam over to try and pull him off of him, but Harry grabbed me by my arm. "Harry, let go of me!"  
  
"Mione, why are you doing this for him? What's gotten into you?" he practically yelled in my face.  
  
I felt tears sting my eyes. "What's gotten into me? Harry, what's gotten into you?! What the hell do you guys think you're doing? I believe it's my business who I care about, so just stay away from him!"  
  
"You can't care about him," Harry snarled. "Mione, look at him! It's Malfoy!"  
  
"I know very well who it is, Harry, thank you very much! Now let me GO so I can go help him!" I yanked my arm out of his grasp and quickly left him standing there, quite surprised. I reached Ron, who was currently on top of Draco and holding him under the water. "Ron!" I screamed. "Ron, stop it!" I grabbed him and, surprisingly, succeeded in pulling him off, for the time being.  
  
Draco resurfaced, sputtering and gasping for breath. I tried to hold Ron back as best I could, but he was much stronger than I, and managed to wriggle free. Harry and Ron were both now on Draco, punching, kicking, yelling, and trying to drown him. Draco was a strong guy, but he could only hold his own for so long, and all I could do was stand there, powerless to stop it. I prayed someone would happen to walk by who could help me, but it didn't appear to be so, so I dove in to the melee, trying to keep Draco alive.  
  
Just in the nick of time, as if they heard my silent pleas for help, Hannah and Terry turned the corner. I was glancing frantically around for anyone who could help, and when I saw them, I breathed a sigh of relief. "Help!" Terry took one look at the situation and jumped in, walking quickly through the water to get to the situation, while I tried to explain in a rush of words. "They saw me and Draco together and just started beating him up I don't know what to do, I can't stop them, Terry please help him, I don't think he can breathe, oh Merlin, please don't let anybody be hurt," I gushed.  
  
Terry had reached them and succeeded in prying Ron off of Draco, who was able to come up to breathe. I ran over to them and held Ron's arms behind his back, yelling at him to stop. He was soaked, and breathing heavily, and couldn't get away from me. Terry was working on wrestling Harry away, but Harry now had Terry underwater, too. I don't think he knew who he was fighting, even, just knew that he had to do it.  
  
Without thinking, I let go of Ron and went over to help Terry with Harry. I thought Ron would be done, but I guess I was wrong. When I was helping Terry up, Ron dove at Draco again, and punched him in the stomach. Draco doubled over, and I automatically went to him. "Are you okay?" I asked worriedly, looking into his face.  
  
He straightened up a little. "Yeah, I think so," he groaned. The shield of ice over his eyes let up when he focused on me, and the true color of his eyes, which seemed to be reserved just for me, was revealed. I was heading back over to Harry and Ron, who seemed to have calmed down, when suddenly Ron charged at Draco again. Thoughtlessly, I threw myself in front of him again. Ron's punch struck me right in the temple, and I felt my knees give out and before I knew it I was underwater.  
  
I only took a few breaths before I felt strong arms pulling me up, but it was enough to leave me gagging and spitting out water. I was carried to the edge and set on the side of the pool. I opened my water- laden eyelashes and focused in on Draco's concerned face.  
  
"Mione," he cried. "Are you okay?" I dimly heard him asking me questions, but my ears were ringing. I shook my head slightly, and tried to focus.  
  
"Um, yeah, I think so... Harry and Ron? Where are they?" I closed my eyes briefly and put my hand to my temple, which was swollen and probably bruising already. I couldn't seem to concentrate.  
  
My answer came when I heard Ron's voice somewhere, but I couldn't find it. "Oh Merlin, Hermione, I'm so sorry, are you alright?"  
  
I closed my eyes again, and it was harder to open them. "Ron, you don't have to yell, I hear you."  
  
Draco was looking at me confusedly, climbing out of the pool to stand beside me. "Mione," he began cautiously. "He wasn't yelling. Are you sure you're alright?"  
  
"Um." I stood up slowly, but I began to see stars around the corners of my vision, and they were slowly closing in. I blinked, hoping to push them away, but failed. My knees gave out for the second time, and I felt someone catch me before I hit the cement, but then I knew nothing more.  
  
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A/N: Hehe. Sorry about the cliffhanger at the end of last chapter. I tried to put a little bit of action into this one, but tell me if I failed miserably. I got a lot of help from my friend, Daydreamer, on this chapter, but I didn't do it as well as she did. Please review!!!  
  
***PLEASE READ: Okay, I have a question. A beta reader is someone who just reads your chapters before you post them and edits and gives you ideas and stuff, right? If anyone would like to be a beta reader for me, please leave your email address in your review, or email me, or you can IM me on AIM if you have it, my screen name is RkyMtnSnowbunny. I really need ideas for this story. I have plans for how it's going to turn out at the end, but I need some ideas of what to put between now and then. So yeah, please let me know if you're interested. Thanks!! *** 


	34. Waking Up

Disclaimer: Do I really have to put this in every chapter? Seriously, I swear, I don't own JKR's stuff, she and her publishers do. So don't sue me.  
  
A/N: Hehe. On with the story.  
  
Chapter 34  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
"Hermione?" I heard a voice from faraway calling my name. I tried to pull myself towards it, and as it got closer I recognized the voice. "Mione?" Draco called again, slight panic in his voice. I wanted to open my eyes to see him, but it just seemed like too much work. "Merlin. Hermione, are you alright?" I could definitely sense a feel of panic and concern in his voice that time. I snuggled closer to his hard chest, and fought to open my eyes. I finally succeeded, and I blinked a few times to clear my cloudy vision. "Hermione!" he exclaimed. "Say something, anything, are you okay?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Don't ever do that again, okay?" I nodded, but winced in pain as my temple shot pain through my head. Draco slowly set me on my feet, still supporting most of my weight, until he was sure I could stand on my own. I looked around and noticed Harry, Ron, Terry, and Hannah all gathered around me, and everyone except for Hannah was soaking wet.  
  
Before I could say anything, Ron broke into my thoughts. "Merlin, Hermione, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it, you know I didn't, don't you?"  
  
Ron's outburst brought back the memory of what had just happened, and I stopped with my mouth open, ready to accept his apology. I closed my mouth and just stared at him, then at Harry. "What is with you two?" I asked softly after a moment.  
  
Ron still had a look of guilt on his face, but it was soon replaced with fury, and Harry's emerald eyes flashed with anger. "Hermione, he's the enemy! How could you?"  
  
"How could I what, exactly, Harry? Hmm?"  
  
"How dare you-"  
  
"How dare I what, Ron?" I cried angrily. "How dare I have friends besides the two of you? How dare I have fun? How dare I care for someone? How dare I love him?" My voice kept growing louder and I practically screamed the last question at them. I felt tears sting my eyes, and I failed in blinking them away. Angrily, I swiped at my cheek, where the tears were falling down.  
  
The two of them just stood there, shocked. Hannah and Terry looked surprised as well, and even Draco looked a little taken aback that I had just screamed at my two former best friends. I didn't want it to be this way, but I cared about all three of them, Harry, Ron, and Draco.  
  
My voice hardened and I faced the facts. "I love Draco. I love him as much as I love the two of you, but in a different way. There is room in my heart for all of you, whether or not you are willing to accept it. It's the way I'll always feel, and I'm sorry if you don't like it, because I can't change anything." New tears coursed their way down my face as I spoke, but I left them there.  
  
Taking one look at their faces, which were still comprehending, I decided to leave them to make a decision about what I'd just said. I'd be the happiest girl alive if they accepted it, and accepted me and Draco, but I wasn't sure if they would. At least not right away. But I was willing to give them time if that's what it took.  
  
I turned around and walked away as quickly as I could, my head still pounding. I heard Draco following me, and he soon caught up. I looked up to meet his eyes, and he smiled at me, taking my hand in his as we walked back to the room.  
  
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Draco's POV  
  
I slid the card key into the slot and opened the door to the hotel, carrying back the bucket of ice I'd retrieved from the icemaker. Hermione was lying on the couch watching tv. I found a small hand towel from the bathroom and wrapped some ice in it, putting the rest in the mini-fridge. Hermione sat up long enough for me to sit down, put a pillow on my lap, and then she lay back down with her head on the pillow. I gently put the ice to her temple and held it there.  
  
"You really scared me, you know," I told her, gently rubbing her hair. "I was worried about you."  
  
She looked up at me as best she could. "Really?"  
  
I looked down at her incredulously. "Of course. I care about you, Mione. I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to you."  
  
She sighed, and settled back down to watch the screen. After awhile, I noticed that her breathing had become more regular, and I knew she'd fallen asleep. I smiled slightly, looking down at her, and couldn't believe how lucky I was.  
  
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"Does your head feel better?" I asked, without turning to look at Hermione as she came out of the bathroom after getting ready to go to dinner.  
  
"Much," she answered, and came over to where I was sitting in the arm chair to kiss my cheek, allowing me to see her for the first time.  
  
She looked absolutely stunning. I knew she'd used makeup to cover the bruise on her temple, and she'd also put on a shade of light blue eyeshadow and some mascara. She was wearing a blue, short, strapless dress with darker blue palm trees on it, and it fit her curves wonderfully. She'd put her hair up in a dark blue clip, with a few curls falling down to frame her face. "You look amazing," I told her, lightly kissing her lips. She smiled at me when I pulled back and sat down on the arm of my chair, until Hannah came out and we all left to eat dinner in the town.  
  
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Still Draco's POV  
  
We found a charming little restaurant in town, and I ordered a chicken sandwich while Hermione had a Caesar salad. We waited for Hannah and Nterry to finish, then left the money for the bill and left to go shopping.  
  
It was already starting to get dark outside, so we decided to shop only in the stores on the way back to the hotel. We stopped in a jewelry store, where Hermione and Hannah exclaimed over the diamonds and other stones, then at a t-shirt shop where we read the sayings printed on them. Lastly we stopped at a drugstore to buy some food to keep in our room. We picked up some popcorn, soda, candy, and chips, and brought them back up to our room in plastic bags.  
  
We dumped the bags on the counter, and I went to my room to change into something more comfortable, after kissing Draco quickly on the cheek as he left to do the same. I exchanged my dress for a pair of purple silk pajama pants and a lighter purple spaghetti strap shirt, ran a brush through my hair, and put it into a messy bun. I stared at my image in the mirror for a few moments before leaving the bathroom I shared with Hannah. I felt bloated after eating so much, but shook it off and headed out to the living room.  
  
Draco was waiting in the arm chair, wearing gray shorts and a black t- shirt. When he spotted me he smiled and scooted over as best he could, allowing me to lay down, half on top of him. Terry and Hannah lay on the couch, and we settled down comfortable for a long night of tv and movies.  
  
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A/N: Aaaahhh! Sorry it took me so long to update!! I can't even blame it on school, I was just off having fun with my friends. SORRY!!! Ok well please review and let me know what you think!! 


	35. Beach Excursions

Chapter 35  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
After only a few days of relaxation, without Harry or Ron to cause distractions and disturbances, I discovered that being in the Bahamas with Draco was very romantic and very comforting. After a week of being there, we'd completed over half of our assignments, and we were scheduled to be there for three whole weeks. Terry and Hannah were, for the most part, always at the beach or shopping in town, leaving Draco and I to entertain ourselves.  
  
I sighed from my place on the couch, laying beside (half on top of) Draco, with his arm around me in a loose, comfortable way. We'd been watching tv, but about half an hour ago, when Draco's breathing became regular, I realized he had fallen asleep. I began slipping into a light sleep as well, when I heard a knock on the door. I sighed, and slowly slid out of Draco's grip without waking him up.  
  
I hoped more than anything that it wasn't Ron or Harry, because I didn't think I could handle them yet. I peered through the hole and saw Ginny and Lavender outside in the hallway. I hadn't talked to them lately, but I was sure they'd been informed about the incident at the pool. I opened the door and smiled at them, waiting for them to explain why they were there.  
  
"Hermione!" Lavender squeaked, giving me a slight hug. "We haven't seen you in almost a week! Why don't you come and hang out with us?"  
  
"Hi, guys. What did you have in mind?"  
  
"We were gonna go down to the beach to tan, maybe swim a little," Ginny replied. I noticed that she was wearing her swimsuit, a blue bikini that matched her eyes, with her white denim shorts.  
  
"Um, yeah, sure, I just have to get ready. Erm, you guys can come in if you want, Draco's asleep." I opened the door wider and stepped aside to allow them to enter. They waited, unsure, in the kitchen part while I vanished into my room to change.  
  
I put on a purple bikini with white flowers, pulling on a pair of shorts over the top. I quickly pulled my hair through an elastic band in a messy bun, and took a glance over in the mirror. I didn't look too bad, and I went back out to meet Ginny and Lavender. I wrote a note for Draco, and left it on the coffee table underneath the remote control, where I was sure he'd find it:  
  
Draco,  
  
I'm at the beach with Ginny and Lavender. Come on down if you want when you wake up. XOXO Love, Hermione  
  
I picked up a towel and followed the two other girls down to the beach. We picked out a spot of white sand near the water, and put down our towels, stretching out on them to get a tan. I sighed contentedly, with the sound of the waves in my ears and the warm sun beating down on me. A question was gnawing at me though, and I propped myself up on my elbow and turned to face Ginny and Lavender, who were laying to my right. "How are Harry and Ron?" I asked.  
  
"They're fine," Lavender replied, before seeing my questioning look. "Oooh, you mean- Oooh!"  
  
"I'm sorry, Mione," Ginny sympathized. "They haven't said anything about... you know. You and Draco."  
  
I smiled and shrugged. "It's okay, I didn't really expect them to, at least not so soon."  
  
"Hermione," Lavender asked hesitantly, eyes wide. "Did Ron really hit you?" I nodded grimly, my mouth set in a thin line. My head still hurt, but it had settled down to a dull ache.  
  
"It was an accident, though," I assured them both, seeing their wide- eyed looks. "It was meant for Draco," I mumbled, looking down at the sand.  
  
"Well at least it didn't leave a mark, right?" Ginny tried to make the best of the situation, but I frowned.  
  
"Wrong," I said, grim again. Glancing quickly around, to make sure no one was watching, I produced my wand from a fold in my towel and muttered something, releasing the spell I had used to cover up my bruise. The girls gasped when they saw the side of my head, now blueish-purple and still swollen. I quickly re-did the spell, and it went back to normal.  
  
"Oh, Mione!" Ginny gasped. "I can't believe Ron did that to you!"  
  
I shook my head. "No, he didn't do it to me, don't worry about it. Albeit it was meant for my boyfriend, I still forgive him. I don't blame them for losing it, and I know they don't normally act like that."  
  
It was silent for a moment, before the subject was tactfully changed. "So, Mione, how are you and your group doing on your assignments?" Lavender inquired.  
  
I smiled gratefully at her before answering. "We've finished over half of them. What about you guys? How many have you gotten done?"  
  
"Oh, not that many," Ginny sighed. "We still have about two thirds of them left to do."  
  
"Don't worry," I reassured. "We still have two weeks here."  
  
Lavender sighed, laying back down and stretching out on her towel in the sun. "That's right! Two whole weeks in this paradise of sun, surf, and sand!" Ginny and I giggled in agreement and mimicked her actions, laying back on our towels to continue tanning.  
  
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Draco's POV  
  
I was so comfortable lying there on the couch that I almost didn't want to wake up, but I slowly opened my eyes. The first thing I noticed was that Hermione was no longer lying next to me, and that caught my attention. I sat up and looked around, didn't see her, and began to worry. That was when I noticed the note beneath the clicker on the coffee table.  
  
Draco,  
  
I'm at the beach with Ginny and Lavender. Come on down if you want when you wake up. XOXO Love, Hermione  
  
I smiled. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was 4:45, which meant it was almost dinner time. I hauled myself up off the couch and went to my room. Hermione and I had reservations at a nice restaurant in town, but it wasn't so nice that I had to dress up too much. I exchanged my carpenter shorts for a pair of khaki pants. I tossed the gray shirt I'd been wearing onto the floor, where it blended in with all the other various clothing items there. I'd been in Hermione's room a few times, and I could definitely say that girls are a lot neater than guys. Our room was an absolute disaster, with clothes, books, parchment, quills, and who knew what else lying around, which was one of the reasons we usually kept the 'Privacy Please' sign on our door.  
  
I picked out a black knit shirt with a collar, and pulled it over my head, right before I heard a knock on the door. Buttoning the first button of the shirt only, I went to the door and pulled it open to see Hermione, smiling sheepishly. "I forgot my key again," she explains.  
  
I stepped aside to allow her to enter, but as soon as she does, I grab her around the waist and press her up against the back of the door, kissing her soundly and deeply. She dropped her towel, which caused her wand to roll across the floor, and put her arms around my neck, responding eagerly.  
  
When I pulled back, she was smiling slyly. "What was that for?"  
  
"Do I now need a purpose to kiss you?" I asked, trying to act offended.  
  
She shrugged, still smiling. "I guess not," she whispered, running a hand up my chest. I kissed her again, encouraged by the moans she caught in the back of her throat. "Mmm," she muttered, trying to push me away. I moved my lips down to her neck, and she gasped as my lips grazed the hollow of her throat. "Draco," she murmured. "I have to go get dressed... for... dinner..."  
  
I pulled back reluctantly. "Okay, okay, go. Go get dressed." I released her and she giggled as she retreated to her room. I sat on the couch to wait for her to finish.  
  
"Draco," she called out after only a moment. "How fancy is this place?"  
  
"Not too fancy!" I replied.  
  
"Well what does that mean? Is it miniskirt and top fancy, or long skirt fancy, or full dress fancy?" She came out from her room, holding a towel around her.  
  
I gave her an incredulous look, holding my hands up in a clueless gesture. "How should I know? This is what I'm wearing, I don't know about all these girl things!"  
  
She laughed and shook her head, moving back into her room and closing the door. I sighed and plopped back down on the couch.  
  
When she came out, I decided she had definitely picked the perfect outfit for the occasion. She was wearing a dark red spaghetti strap shirt, which came to about midway down her stomach, underneath a black long- sleeved collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows and the bottom tied in a knot so her belly button was showing. She had a gold ring with a red stone on it, and was wearing the earrings I'd given her for Christmas. I smiled my appreciation, and offered her my arm after she grabbed a small handbag, and we left the hotel to go to the restaurant.  
  
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Hermione's POV (sorry about the mix-up in last chapter)  
  
"No, there must be some mistake, I made a reservation two days ago!" Draco was arguing with the waiter behind the desk, trying to peer over at the reservation list. The waiting time for a table was over an hour without a reservation, and apparently the restaurant had lost ours.  
  
"Draco," I mutter quietly. "Just forget about it, let's just go back to the hotel." He looked down at me and his eyes softened.  
  
"Are you sure you don't mind?" he asked quietly, ignoring the impatient gaze of the waiter. I nodded. "Okay," he turned back to the waiter. "I don't plan on waiting another hour for a table because you lost our reservations, so don't expect our business!" He was shaking a finger at the waiter, who was eyeing him like he was insane. I stifled a snort of laughter.  
  
We made our way through the crowd to the door, and started walking back in the direction of the hotel. The sidewalks were almost empty at this time, since it was time for dinner, and we walked hand in hand next to the almost clear waters. I wasn't really paying attention, just thinking to myself, and Draco stopped abruptly. I looked up at him to see what it was, and he smiled. "Look," he pointed. I turned to see a small pontoon boat roped to a dock, and a sign reading 'Romantic Sunset Cruise Pizza Included'.  
  
I looked up at him and grinned. "What do you say?" he asked.  
  
"Sounds fun." We approached the man leaning on the dock, apparently the boat driver, and paid him for an hour long cruise.  
  
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"Mmm, that was delicious!" I exclaimed almost an hour later, on our way back to shore. "The best pizza I've tasted in a long time. And the view was amazing! Thank you, Draco," I smiled.  
  
"Don't thank me, I didn't do anything."  
  
"Of course you did. It wouldn't have been any fun without you." I leaned forward slightly to kiss him, then rested my head on his shoulder when he put his arm around me.  
  
When we got back to our room, Hannah and Terry were there, watching a movie on tv. After changing into pajamas, I sat down on Draco's lap to watch it with them, and ended up falling asleep before long.  
  
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A/N: Sorry, I ran out of things to write at the end so I ended it kinda lamely. 


	36. Last Drop of Paradise and Returning Home...

Chapter 36  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
The next week flew by rather uneventfully, and we finished our assignments. The second week I spent entirely with Draco, trying to forget all about Harry and Ron. Draco rented a jet ski, and I clung to his waist as he rode it, then he stood on the beach laughing as he watched me try to steer it. We went out on a water tricycle for an hour one day, and got a good workout as we found it was harder than it looked. The rest of our time was spent laying around either on the beach or the couch, shopping, or eating out at the many restaurants.  
  
"Alright guys we're headed to bed," Hannah told us. It was our second to last night in the Bahamas, and we'd all been watching a movie on tv, but now that it was over Hannah and Terry were going to sleep. I watched them disappear into their respective rooms, then propped my elbow on Draco's chest and half sat up to look at him.  
  
"Are you going to bed?"  
  
I shook my head. "Not yet," I whispered, laying back down and tucking my head under his chin. "Stay here for a little while." I felt him nod. I closed my eyes, feeling very relaxed, and before I knew it, I was asleep.  
  
When my eyes fluttered open again, I cringed against the sun that was now high in the sky. Draco, woken by my stirring, opened his eyes and cursed. "Damn sun. Shouldn't be out this early," he muttered.  
  
I peeled one eyelid open to look at the clock. "It's almost lunch time," I replied, murmuring into his shirt. We lay there for a while longer, but apparently he couldn't fall back asleep either. "I'm hungry."  
  
"Me too," he yawned, pulling me with him into a sitting position. "How 'bout you go get dressed, and I'll meet you back in here in fifteen minutes to go get some breakfast. I mean, lunch," he corrected. I giggled, and climbed off him to head into my room.  
  
I picked a black shirt that had a Chinese symbol for 'love' on it in red, and pulled on a denim skirt. I picked up my brush and went into the bathroom, pulling it through my hair, which I later put up in a clip. I swiped my eyelids with a brown shadow, dragged a mascara brush across my eyelashes, and applied some strawberry lip gloss. It had only been ten minutes, but I was sure Draco was done already, so I went back out into the living room.  
  
"What sounds good to eat?" he asked.  
  
I thought for a moment while we went down to the hotel lobby, my stomach growling. "Something light," I finally decided. Draco nodded, and we walked to a soup and sandwich place on a corner a few blocks from the hotel.  
  
We were led to a small booth in the corner, and after looking over the menu, I decided on getting the soup and salad combo, with honey mustard dressing on the side, and cream of potato soup. Draco ordered a turkey and cheese sandwich.  
  
"It's our last day in paradise," Draco said somewhat sadly after a few moments of eating in silence. It was true. Today was our last full day on our trip, since we would have to board our plane early the next morning.  
  
"That's right! We need to really have fun today, because day after tomorrow we have to return to classes." I stuck out my tongue to prove my point about not wanting to leave.  
  
Draco laughed. "Well, what do you think we should do?"  
  
I shrugged. "I don't know. Something fun, exciting. Memorable."  
  
"We'll have to see what we can do about that," he grinned.  
  
I smiled at him and turned back to my salad, thinking about what we could do. "Oh!" I exclaimed. "I know! I saw a sign for a stable, we should go horseback riding along the beach. Please, I've always wanted to go, I love horses."  
  
"Okay," he replied. "If that's what you want to do, that's what we'll do." I nodded enthusiastically, and he gave me a warm smile before turning back to his sandwich.  
  
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We spent the rest of the afternoon at the pools, trying any slides we hadn't had a chance to go on yet, or going on our favorites again. We were standing in line for our favorite slide of them all, when Draco looked at his waterproof watch.  
  
"Whoa, it's already 4:55."  
  
"Let's make this our last run," I replied. "And then we can go in and get ready for dinner." We had made reservations for a sunset horseback ride along the beach, after dinner with Hannah and Terry.  
  
I sat down on the slide and crossed my arms over my chest, then when the light turned green I pushed off and slid down on my back, screaming just for the fun of it. I hit the water, then emerged and swam over to the edge to wait for Draco, who was right behind me. He slipped his arm around my waist. "Come on, let's go."  
  
We were meeting at a fancy Italian restaurant for dinner, so after I'd showered and dried my hair, I went to my suitcase in search of clothes. I laid some choices out on my bed, and after careful examination and consideration, decided on a medium-length dress. It was pale purple with dark purple flowers on it, and the straps criss-crossed in the back. It was made of a light silky material, and would keep me cool in the humid night air. I used some purple shimmering eye shadow on my eyelids, black mascara, pale pink blush, and clear lip gloss. For the finishing touch, I slipped my feet into black high-heels with criss-crossing straps.  
  
Draco and I headed out of the hotel and began walking the couple blocks down the street to the restaurant, and I took in his appearance. He was wearing khaki pants, and for a shirt he had stuck to the color that suited him best: black. It made a sharp contrast to his pale skin and almost white hair, not to mention his warm gray eyes.  
  
I'd grown accustomed to seeing his eyes without their shield up since we'd been together. With other people, he hid his emotions with a 'shield' over his eyes that seemed to be made of ice. It made his eyes look like hard, ice-cold steel, but when he was with me they softened. The ice seemed to melt, and his eyes became a soft gray, and made him more sensitive. I loved that he felt he could be himself around me, and that he didn't feel the need to hide behind his eyes.  
  
We told the waitress at the restaurant that we were meeting someone, and they took us to the booth where Terry and Hannah had already been seated. "Hi guys," I greeted, sliding into the unoccupied side of the booth, in the spot closest to the wall.  
  
"Hey!" Hannah greeted. "What have you guys been up to?"  
  
"Yeah," Terry laughed. "I feel like I haven't seen you in forever."  
  
I smiled. "Well, we've just been hanging out at the beach for the past week, trying to enjoy the last drop of paradise."  
  
"That's right," Hannah sighed. "I can't believe we have to leave tomorrow morning!"  
  
I smiled appreciatively at the waitress as she set our food on the table. "I know," I said sadly. My 'planning and responsible Hermione' side took over, and I just had to remind them, "Our plane leaves tomorrow at 7:15, so make sure you're on the runway by 7 o'clock."  
  
Hannah and Terry looked at each other and rolled their eyes. "We know, Hermione, don't worry, we'll be there."  
  
"Well, I know you know," I said sheepishly. "I just thought I'd remind you, you know?"  
  
"Yes, we know," Draco laughed. I smiled sheepishly at him, and he leant over to kiss my forehead.  
  
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When we finished dinner, we said goodbye to Terry and Hannah, who walked hand-in-hand in the opposite direction, while we headed back to the hotel. Quickly as I could, I changed into horse-suitable clothes, and we walked down along the beach to the stables.  
  
It appeared deserted as we walked into the cheery red stable. Horses were lined up on either side of the barn in large box stalls, with a brass nameplate for each. I noted that the aisle was well-swept, and all the harnesses were hung neatly and orderly on hooks by each stall. We continued down the row until we came to the end of the barn, with two half stalls with cross ties on one side, and a small office/kitchen on the other.  
  
"Hello?" Draco called uncertainly. Just then, a woman came in through the small door on our side of the barn. She was about the same height as me, with wavy light brown hair to her shoulders, pulled back in a messy pony tail. She was wearing faded, dirty jeans with a red t-shirt.  
  
"May I help you?" she asked, smiling. I liked her immediately, simply because of the fact that her eyes danced when she smiled.  
  
"Yes," I replied quickly. "We have reservations for a ride along the beach?"  
  
"Yes, yes, of course!" she replied. "Under the name... Malfoy, wasn't it?" I nodded. "Excellent. Alright. Now, what is your level of skill at riding?"  
  
My parents had bought me a pony when I was three, and when I'd outgrown him, they'd sold him to buy me a horse, which I still owned and rode during the summers. "Intermediate," I replied.  
  
The woman nodded and turned to Draco. "Intermediate," he echoed. I shot him a surprised glance, and he caught it, shrugging one of his shoulders at me. "Lucius keeps horses." Ah, so that explained it.  
  
"Hmm..." The woman, whom I guessed from the nameplate over the office was named Sheila, contemplated as she walked down the aisle, and we followed her. "Yes, um, Miss..." She trailed off, looking at me.  
  
"Hermione," I supplied.  
  
"Ah, of course. Hermione, you can ride Stardust. She's a very placid mare, but it takes skill to ride her. You'll be a perfect match." I peered over the edge of the half-door. Stardust was a beautiful mare, golden with a light blond mane and tail, two white stockings on her front feet, and a star in the middle of her forehead.  
  
"Hey, Stardust," I cooed. "Hey, girl." I pulled back and watched as Sheila directed Draco to the stall next to mine, introducing him to an amazing pitch black gelding named Demon. I grinned. That was a perfect match if there ever was one.  
  
She told us to lead them out and over to the crossties, and when we got there, she showed us where the grooming box and their tack was. "Do you think you can handle it from here?" she asked.  
  
I nodded. "Yes, thank you."  
  
"Alright then! Have a great time, you two."  
  
I pulled a currycomb out of the grooming box and watched Draco do the same, and start brushing Demon. I sighed. "This is going to be so much fun! I miss Jazz, my horse back home."  
  
Draco nodded, smiling. "Yeah, I have a favorite stallion back home, his name is Aladdin. Demon reminds me a lot of him, except Aladdin has a white star and stockings on all four feet."  
  
"He sounds beautiful." He nodded. We finished brushing and combing our horses, then picked out their hooves, then started saddling them up. I did it almost mechanically, glad that I hadn't forgotten how after all the months of being out of practice. Finally slipping the bridle over Stardust's head and fastening the last of the straps, we were ready to go. We led them out of the barn before mounting up, then turned toward the beach at a slow, steady walk to begin.  
  
After the horses were warmed up, we began to trot. When we reached where the sand met the ocean, we slowed to a walk again and brought our horses side by side. I looked across the ocean to the horizon, where the setting sun turned the clouds haloing it various shades of purple, pink, and yellow. "It's beautiful," I breathed.  
  
"Sure is," Draco agreed. He leaned over in the saddle to kiss my cheek lightly. "Just like you."  
  
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A/N: Sorry, I know that part was cheesy, I just had to add it in. hehe  
  
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Draco's POV  
  
I was glad we did the horseback ride, because it was really beautiful, and I loved spending the time with Hermione. I looked down at her now. We were walking slowly along the ocean back to the hotel, after having returned our horses and thanked Sheila. I had my arm around her waist, and her head was resting on my shoulder. Her deep auburn hair was curled a bit at the ends, cascading down and around her shoulders. My favorite feature of her was her eyes, which right now were filled with happiness and content, making them look like melting chocolate. She truly was beautiful.  
  
It was getting dark, and the breeze picked up. She shivered, and I didn't have a coat to give her, so I simply wrapped my arm tighter around her. We sped up a little to get back to the hotel and out of the cold.  
  
When we entered our room we found that Hannah and Terry were still gone, and I wondered where they could be. I changed into a pair of silk pants and a t-shirt, then met Hermione back in the living area, lying down on the couch with her to watch a muggle movie, Gladiator, on Starz. Hannah and Terry arrived half an hour into the movie, and disappeared into Terry's room.  
  
When the movie was over, I looked down at Hermione, and she smiled up at me. "I'm going to go to sleep soon, because we have to wake up early tomorrow," she whispered.  
  
"Mmmk," I murmured, and planted a kiss on her mouth. She made the first act to deepen it, throwing her arms around my neck, then running them down my back, making me shiver. One of my hands was buried in her hair, and one of my hands was working it's way from her hip, up her shirt to come to rest on the side of her stomach, which elicited a giggle from her. I pulled back, grinning devishly. "Hmm, you're ticklish are you?" I began running my hand up and down her sides, and across her stomach.  
  
She was now laughing uncontrollably and trying to catch her breath. "No," she gasped, trying to stop laughing. "Stop! Draco, stop it!" I let up on my tickling, and cut off her laughs by pressing my lips to hers once more. I finally pulled back, allowing her to breathe, and took the opportunity to drag the air into my own lungs. I glanced over at the clock in the kitchen and I saw that it was almost eleven o'clock. "Okay," I sighed. "Bedtime." I rolled away from her and off the couch, watching as she yawned and stretched like a cat.  
  
"Okay," she said, getting up. She stood on her tip-toes to give me one last thorough kiss. "Goodnight," she whispered, and I watched as she retreated back into her room.  
  
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Still Draco's POV  
  
I stood on the runway, holding my bag over my right shoulder and Hermione's over the left, watching as the plane lowered the ramp for us and the others waiting to board. Mione was about to follow Hannah, and climb the stairs to the plane, but I pulled her gently aside. She looked confused for a moment, but then I pressed my lips to hers, gently and softly, then pulled back.  
  
"What was that for?" she whispered, looking up at me and smiling faintly.  
  
"Our last kiss in paradise," I replied.  
  
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Hermione's POV  
  
The plane for the 5th year prefects got in before the plane with the rest of the students, so we had extra time to settle in before dinner. Draco was sitting in my window seat while I finished unpacking my bag, and then we went to the Great Hall together. Of course, nobody was supposed to know that we were even speaking to each other, so we made sure to enter the Hall at different times, so as not to alert anyone.  
  
Harry, Ron, and everyone else arrived shortly after dinner started. I looked up at them expectantly, and I met Ron's gaze for half a second before I watched them take a seat at the opposite end of the table, Lavender and Ginny giving me apologetic looks. But what hurt the most was the look I saw in Ron's eyes. Betrayal, hurt, anger. I was almost able to forget about the 'incident' between us, but now that we were home at Hogwarts, it was back, and in full force. I looked up and met Draco's eyes; he had caught it too. He mouthed something quickly, and I realized what it was: 'Go after them.'  
  
I didn't feel so hungry anymore. Sullenly, I picked at my food until Dumbledore announced that it was time to return to our rooms. I watched as the four of them, Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Lavender, left. I slowly got up to follow them, wondering if I should say anything. I didn't let myself think too much, because I knew I would back out. I jumped up and ran after them. "Hey, guys. Can we talk? Please?"  
  
"Just listen, okay?" Lavender said softly.  
  
"Yeah," Ginny chimed in when they looked doubtful. "For us?" She then looked to Lavender, and they both walked away, leaving me alone with Harry and Ron.  
  
They both turned to stare at me, and I was stricken by what I saw in both their eyes. I took a deep breath; there was no turning back now. "Harry, Ron, just hear me out, okay?" I didn't get much of a response, except Ron crossed his arms over his chest and Harry shifted his weight to his other foot. Figuring that I couldn't just start talking about me and Draco in the middle of the hallway, I led them into a nearby empty classroom, and put a silencing charm on it.  
  
"Now," I began. "I know you aren't happy about, um, Draco and I being together, but-"  
  
"You got that damn right," Ron scoffed.  
  
"Ron, please!" I begged. "Just listen to what I have to say, and maybe you'll understand a little bit better what I feel, okay? Now, as hard as this may be to comprehend, I really care about Draco. And I know he cares about me, too. I love him. And I love you guys too," I assured, "but not in the same way." I took another deep breath, in attempt to calm my nerves. "I know that he doesn't seem the, erm, perfect candidate for someone for me to go out with, but he treats me well. And no, he isn't a death eater, and he doesn't like what his father's doing, nor does he agree with Voldemort's ways." I realized that I was rambling, and this had really nothing to do with what I was trying to convince them of. "Anyways, I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't judge him. He's been through a lot, and in a way, so have I. It took us this long to realize that we're not really enemies, and that we can get along. I love him, he loves me, end of story. I hope you guys can deal with that." Both of them just stared at me. "I'm done, you can talk now if you want."  
  
"Good!" Ron practically shouted, breaking his outer appearance of being calm. "Because you're dead wrong, Hermione. You ARE enemies, that's the point! All of us have been enemies since day one, and now you're turning your back on us to join his side!"  
  
"Ron!" I cried, exasperated. Did nothing I just said reach him at all? "I'm not taking sides!"  
  
"Oh, really?" Harry replied sarcastically.  
  
"YES!" I screamed. "Yes, really, Harry! I don't WANT it to have to be this way, that's the whole point! I don't see why you two can't just accept the fact that Draco and I are together, and that's one thing that's not going to be changing anytime soon!"  
  
"Because," Ron said. The scariest thing about him was that he was saying it calmly, while his face was turning a beet red. "You are fraternizing with the enemy," he spat. "And how are we supposed to KNOW that you AREN'T taking sides? How can we tell that you aren't spying on us, and going back and reporting it to DRACO and his little band of Slytherins?"  
  
At these words, I felt something in me shatter. My mouth opened to reply, but I closed it wordlessly. I shook my head sadly, silent tears that I'd been holding back finally rolling down my cheeks. "You shouldn't have to know," I whispered, looking up at him. I said it softly, but I knew they both heard every word. "I am your friend, for my part at least," I added on afterthought. "And after five years of friendship, I thought I knew you better than anyone, but I guess I was wrong. You shouldn't have to know, with your best friend," I repeated. "You should be able to trust." I met each of their eyes a last time, then, without another word, turned and headed out the door.  
  
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Still Hermione's POV  
  
Walking blindly up to the portrait to my rooms, I mumbled the password and stumbled through the door. Draco, luckily the only person in the common room, had been waiting for me, and at the sound of my entrance he stood up. I ran across the room and he caught me before my knees gave out, his strong arms supporting my weight easily. I was unable to control my sobs any longer, and he held me as I took my pain out on his chest, hitting him again and again with my fists.  
  
When at last I calmed down a bit, he led me upstairs to my room, and sat next to me on the bed, still cradling me in his arms. "Sshhh," he comforted, stroking my hair. "It's okay," he told me.  
  
But he didn't know. He didn't know that my best friends no longer believed in me, that they didn't trust me anymore. How could it be okay? I was confused. I didn't see why Harry and Ron didn't want me to be happy.  
  
"Mione?" he asked tentatively, peering down at my face. "Are you okay?"  
  
I drew in a very shaky breath, and nodded. "Just don't leave me, okay?" I asked, gripping his hand tighter.  
  
He reached up a hand and wiped the single tear that made a fresh trail down my cheek. "I'll never leave you," he promised.  
  
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Still Mione's POV  
  
The next month came and went, and I tried my best to avoid Ron and Harry. I still hadn't talked to them since that night we got back, and I was still feeling many different emotions: confusion, hurt, anger, but mainly confusion. I was able to forget about them a little bit around the time when finals came along, burying myself in my schoolwork. Of course, I passed finals with flying colors, with the top grades in every class, rivaled only by Draco.  
  
Before I knew it, it was time to leave Hogwarts for the summer. I missed my parents terribly, but I didn't want to leave. I blinked back tears as I gazed at the castle one last time, on my way to board the Hogwarts Express. Of course, once on the train, I shared a compartment with Draco. No one missed me, since most of my other friends were sitting with Harry and Ron anyway.  
  
"How am I gonna live without you for the next three and a half months?" I asked. I was half-laying with my back against Draco's shoulder, my feet propped on the bench of the train. He had been gazing out the window in silence, watching the raindrops. At my words, he slowly turned to face me.  
  
"It won't be that long," he assured, squeezing my hand. "I'll see you again before you know it." I nodded, just hoping that he was right. I had a feeling this was going to be a very long summer indeed.  
  
By the time we pulled into the platform nine and three quarters, the rain was pouring down. I pulled away from Draco's kiss, and allowed him to go first, dragging his trunk out into the rain and disappearing into the crowd.  
  
Sadly, I lugged my trunk out to the overhang of the platform, and waved goodbye to my friends before heading across the barrier to the muggle world, seeing the last of the wizarding world I would probably see for at least three months.  
  
I was looking for my parents when suddenly I felt someone grab me from behind. I stiffened, but relaxed immediately when I turned around and found myself staring straight into a pair of charcoal gray eyes. I smiled, and Draco smiled back down at me. Without a word, he bent down slightly to press his lips to mine in a passionate fiery kiss. After a few moments, he pulled away. I stared into his eyes for what seemed like an eternity, and just when I thought I would be lost forever in the pools of swirling gray, he leant down to kiss me once more. This time, however, it was a gentle kiss, lighter than air. "Goodbye," he whispered when he pulled back, and with that he was gone.  
  
I sat there stunned for a moment, wondering if he'd even said anything at all, or if it had just been the wind playing tricks on me. I shivered and realized that I was soaking wet, which reminded me of the night I arrived at Hogwarts. So much had happened since then. So much had changed, that I had to wonder what the next year would have in store for me.  
  
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A/N: TA-DA!!! That's the end of my little story!! Which turned out to be not quite so little, at 36 chapters. Look for an authors note posted after this, explaining about sequels!! *wink wink* 


	37. VERY IMPORTANT AN PLEASE READ: ABOUT SEQ...

**Changing******

_My former best friends have left me_

_For awhile we've been estranged_

_But if only they would see me now_

_They could tell how much I've changed_

_I can't help but feel that I'm lost_

_While everything around me is shifting_

_Having you in my life has changed me_

_And everything I once knew is now drifting_

_I wouldn't have it any other way_

_Because having you makes it all worthwhile_

_I know that they can't see that_

_But still I try to smile_

A/N:  **PLEASE READ, VERY IMPORTANT:  ABOUT SEQUELS!!!!!**

Okay, now, the story Changing is over, but there will be 2 sequels, one for 6th year, and one for 7th year, so this story is actually far from ending.  Please look out for the 6th year story: The Hardest Thing.  I hope to get the first chapter posted pretty soon, but it may take a little while.  Please review and let me know what you thought of last chapter, and my little poem up there, and don't forget to read and review The Hardest Thing!!!!!  

Thank you so much for all my wonderful reviewers on this story, I had close to 500!!!  


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